The 3rd Annual Brian J. Donnelly Award for Leadership in Public Service

Brian J Donnelly Award 2024 | Irish Cultural Centre Greater Boston

Attire - Business Formal

Event Style - Cocktail Reception with Specialty Food Stations

**All proceeds from this event will go towards continuing the Irish Cultural Centre’s mission of preserving and promoting Irish culture through music, dance, arts, history, language, sports, and more.

Brian J. Donnelly, United States Congressman from Boston and former United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, was an advocate for his district, fighting relentlessly for his constituents and for the causes he believed in. His commitment to public service spanned his entire career. One of his most passionate projects was creating the Donnelly Visa, which helped many in Ireland to emigrate to the United States and follow the American Dream. This program extended to other nations and has had a profound impact on tens of thousands of families that now call the United States home. To honor Congressman Donnelly’s legacy of public service, the Irish Cultural Centre is proud to announce this year’s worthy posthumous recipient is philantropist Jack Connors.

Jack Connors

Jack Connors, Jr. (1942-2024), was the co-founder of Camp Harbor View and a legendary leader and philanthropist in Boston. Connors was a founding partner of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc., a full-service marketing communications company. Under his leadership, Hill Holliday evolved from a one-room shop, founded in 1968, to one of the top 20 advertising firms in the United States.

Early in his career, he became interested and active in the philanthropic life of the city of Boston, serving on boards and leading civic campaigns. In fact, throughout Greater Boston, Jack Connors is known for these efforts as well as for his business acumen. Boston Magazine named him one of the most powerful people in Boston, and he’s been a major force behind initiatives such as The Campaign for Catholic Schools, and The Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

As an articulate advocate for Boston’s world-class hospitals, Jack served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Partners HealthCare System (now Mass General Brigham) for 16 years and became Chairman Emeritus in July 2012. He served on the Boston College Board of Trustees for over 30 years and was Chair of that board on two occasions. He is a member of the Board of Overseers for the Home Base Program for wounded warriors at the MGH, the Board of Fellows at Harvard Medical School, and Board of Dean’s Advisors for the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Camp Harbor View is arguably the charity that was closest to Jack’s heart.

When the late Mayor Thomas Menino asked for his help in identifying a safe and enjoyable alternative for inner-city boys and girls during summer. Jack proposed that he would raise enough money to build a summer camp on Long Island in Boston Harbor, and Camp Harbor View was born. Jack was a proud graduate of Boston College.

He passed away in 2024, survived by his wife, Eileen, and their four children and thirteen grandchildren.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Venezia Restaurant Boston, 20 Ericsson Street, Boston, United States