Geraldine Keegan
Dame Geraldine Mary Marcella Keegan, DBE, is the head teacher of St. Mary's College (in the Creggan area of Derry), which is one of Northern Ireland's most successful schools. It was the first school in the UK to receive three charter marks for excellence, the government's gold medal of public service. On top of this, St. Mary's has also won a number of European and Northern Ireland awards.
She was formerly a senior lecturer in Teacher Training and a Deputy Director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Education Management. She recently completed a four-year term as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ulster and was appointed a Visiting Professor in Education at the University of Ulster in June 2001.
Miss Keegan, of Springtown, County Londonderry, was appointed the school's first lay principal in 1987. She was an OBE before becoming a DBE for her services to education.