William F. Connell
Chairman &CEO
Connell Limited Partnership
Revenue: $1 billion
Employees: 3,000
Prior to forming Connell Limited Partnership in 1987, William Connell was chairman and CEO of Avondale Industries, Inc., which was spun off from the Ogden Corporation in 1985. Since then, his new venture has acquired several companies that were part of Avondale and Ogden, all of which are primarily involved in metals recycling and the manufacturing of industrial products.
Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, Connell graduated magna cum laude from Boston College in 1959 and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School four years later.
Connell is a first-generation Irish American — his father was born in Killarney, County Kerry and his mother’s family hails from Sligo. The pride he takes in his Irish heritage is evidenced in his membership in the Eire Society, The American Ireland Fund and the Irish American Partnership.
Connell is also active in a number of local community and cultural organizations in Boston, including the Boston Citizen Seminars and the JFK Library Foundation. He is married with six children.
John G. Connors
Vice President, Worldwide Enterprise Group
Microsoft Corporation
Revenue: $18 billion
Employees: 31,000
A recognized leader within the information technology industry, John Connors has a keen understanding of IT and business relationship management. As vice president of the worldwide enterprise group for Microsoft Corporation, Connors and his organization are responsible for the sales, services and relationship strategy for large, medium and small businesses.
\These responsibilities include consulting, partner management, customer marketing, executive relations, volume licensing, and training/certification. Prior to his current position, Connors was Microsoft’s chief information officer. Microsoft has a subsidiary in Ireland.
A second-generation Irish American with roots in County Cork, Connors was born in Philipsburg, Montana and earned a degree in accounting from University of Montana in 1984. In 1997, Connors received the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater for his efforts in establishing a new business college technology center.
Connors is a member of Governor Gary Locke’s Council of Economic Advisors for Washington State and he is also a member o the board of directors for the Montana Power Company. He is roamed with four children.
Thomas A. Corcoran
President &CEO
Allegheny Teledyne, Inc.
Revenue: $4 billion
Employees: 35,000
Tom Corcoran moved to the position of president and chief executive officer of Allegheny Teledyne this fall. In 1998, he was featured as one of Irish America’s Business 100 as president and COO of Lockheed Martin Electronics, a position he held for six years.
Corcoran emigrated from County Cavan at the age of 13. After putting himself through college at the Stevens Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering, he spent 26 years with General Electric, serving as a vice president and general manager for several of those years.
Corcoran is extremely proud of his Irish heritage and has two brothers and a sister still living in Ireland. He is active in The American Ireland Fund and was chairman of the fund’s national gala in Washington, D.C., in 1997, ’98 and ’99.
He and his wife Claudia have two children. Says Corcoran, “I’m proud to be an Irish American. My continued hope is that Ireland, with support from Irish Americans, can find permanent peace.”♦
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