The IN-San Diego Board
Eilis McKay, President
Born and raised in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Eilis attended Queen’s University, Belfast where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma in Education. She went on to teach History and Latin at High School level for 10 years. Eilis has also been closely involved with the formation of the West Coast Queen’s Alumni Association.
The move to the US in 1982 spurred an interest in real estate and she obtained her first real estate license in Denver, Colorado. She has been living in Rancho Santa Fe, California for the past 25 years, and works as a real estate agent with the prestigious, family owned, residential real estate firm of Barry Estates, Inc. founded by Catherine and Dan Barry in 1990. Voted the Best Real Estate Agency for 2007, 2008, and 2009 by Ranch and Coast Magazine, this boutique real estate firm represents some of the most prestigious and expensive properties in San Diego County. Despite the economic climate, Eilis has sold the highest priced property in Rancho Santa Fe and Del Mar for 2009. Her client base includes buyers from South Africa, London, India, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles and come from a wide range of industries and professions.
Russell McHugh, Vice-President
Russell works with the business development group at FLO TV Incorporated, a wholly owned Qualcomm subsidiary firm. FLO TV aggregates and broadcasts tier 1 TV network content to mobile devices nationally in the US on Channel 55. Prior to FLO TV, he was with Qualcomm Internet Services in Cambridge, UK and transferred to the San Diego office in January, 2006. Russell worked with Trigenix Limited until its acquisition by Qualcomm in 2004. Previously he had stints in the Far East and London with Zi Corporation, a specialist language input technology firm.
An avid rugby and soccer fan, his first sport is hurling, unusual for a Leitrim native! A wannabe golfer on the weekends in San Diego, seeks his first eagle but swears his short game is improving with home practice.
Frank Cassidy, Secretary and Treasurer
Originally from Dublin, Frank graduated from UCD with a BComm and obtained a Master of Science in Marketing Practice from the Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Having worked in the family electrical product distribution business since 1998, a move to San Diego in 2005 resulted in the transition into the sustainable industry of daylighting, Frank is now a Daylighting Consultant with Solatube International. He also exports classic and historic cars to Europe as a hobby. As one of the founding members of INSD, he is interested in interacting with Irish business professionals, Irish companies, or those interested in doing business with Irish companies in Southern California. Frank's goal is to promote the visibility of Irish business in the region while encouraging commercial ties with the Irish business community, especially during the current economic difficulties.
Ruth Murphy, Events Coordinator
Ruth was born and raised in Dundalk, Co. Louth and received her Bachelor in Social Studies and Masters of Arts at TCD, Dublin . She has lived in Toronto , Canada , for 5 years before moving to San Diego in 1991 where she then graduated from SDSU with a Masters Degree in Social Work. Ruth is a Licensed Clinical Social worker has worked with Sharp Healthcare for 10 years and presently is employed with the VA Healthcare System. Ruth enjoys supervising intern students from SDSU and is very active in the Irish Community.
Rosalind Carney, IT
Originally from Dublin, Rosalind attended Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine in London for her undergraduate degree in biology. She graduated with a MSc (by Research) from the Dept. of Pharmacology & Therapeutics in Trinity College Dublin. Subsequently, Rosalind attended New College as a graduate student and received her doctorate in Neuroscience from the Dept. of Human Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford. In 2004, Rosalind moved to Washington DC to start her post-doctoral studies in Georgetown University Medical Center and Children’s National Medical Center. In 2009, Rosalind moved to San Diego to conduct independent research on brain development at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Outside of science Rosalind enjoys playing tennis and other sports. She speaks French, Spanish and cúpla focal as Gaeilge.