The Old Members’ Office Team
General enquiries via Old Members’ Office email address or via telephone: +44 (0)1865 279217
To contact a named person in the team, please click on their profile below.
The Development Committee
The Development Committee is a Standing Committee of the Governing Body. Its duties are to oversee College development and fundraising activities and the maintenance of the College’s good relations with its Old Members.
The Provost and Fellows are grateful for the significant efforts Committee Members past and present put into supporting Queen’s.
- The Provost, Chair
- The Director of Development, Secretary
- The Bursar
- Two Fellows appointed for a three-year term, currently Dr Christopher Metcalf and Prof Jon Keating.
- Up to seven Old Members each for a three-year term, renewable once at the will of the parties
Richard Donner – Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 1980
Ahmet Feridun – Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 2003
Helen Geary (née Zimmer) – Literae Humaniore, 1996
Anna Hull (née Perriam) – Mathematics, 1995
John Hull – Chemistry, 1994
Elizabeth Pilkington – Mathematics, 2000
The 650th Trust Fund Committee
The Trust Fund was set up by Old Members of the College to celebrate the College’s 650th Anniversary (in 1991) to disburse awards in the region of £150-£500 for a variety of cultural and sporting activities.
The Fund is overseen by a small Committee of Old Members who meet annually to consider applications and award prizes. Applications are invited in Hilary Term and successful winners are informed early in Trinity Term.
Mary-Eve McNerney – Modern History and Politics, 2000
Mary-Eve joined Meta in 2022 and served as Product Policy Director for Integrity, leading global teams on election preparedness, recommendations systems, regulatory preparedness, and crisis response. Before Meta, she spent over a decade in the UK government, including as Principal Private Secretary (Chief of Staff) to the National Security Advisor. Mary-Eve is active in Bay Area charities and Ukrainian cultural initiatives and is based in San Francisco.
Mary-Eve studied Modern History and Politics at Queen’s and has been on the Board since 2016. She loves discovering students’ stories through their applications and supporting non-academic initiatives that enrich lives, spark curiosity, and help prepare students for the future.
James Dinsdale – History, 2010
James is a civil servant who has been working at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) since 2021. He has previously worked in a number of roles in MHCLG, the Treasury and (very briefly) 10 Downing Street, covering policy, legislation and private office. Before that, he studied an MSc in International Public Policy (majoring in international relations, economics and statistics) and worked in public sector consulting. James also sits as a magistrate.
James studied Modern History at Queen’s from 2010-13, where he was also JCR Vice President and 3rds football captain. He has been on the Board since 2024. He is particularly keen to see students using the fund to experiment with new or recent hobbies, and undertake activities they otherwise would not be able to without the help of the fund.
Helen Geary – BA Literae Humaniores, 1996
Helen has been a Partner at fundraising consultancy More Partnership since 2023, after 20 years working in fundraising and communications for a range of organisations including the National Theatre, the Courtauld Institute of Art and Lichfield Cathedral. She is also active as a Trustee, and is currently on the Board of Classics for All, a charity which supports the teaching of Classics in state schools, and Sinfonia Viva, the professional orchestra in the East Midlands, as well the Audit and Risk Committee of Derby Cathedral in the city where she lives with her husband and son.
Helen read Classics at Queen’s (1996-2000) and was a choral scholar during her time here – an experience every bit as important as her academic studies in shaping her life after college. She is delighted to be part of the 650th Anniversary Trust Committee and help Queen’s support current students to make the most of exciting opportunities beyond their subject.
Rachel Drapper – Egyptology, 2012
Rachel is an entrepreneur and gender equity researcher and advocate. She is currently a Senior Commercial Manager at Koru Kids, a childcare startup, and is the founder of Fairshare, an organisation that promotes equal parental leave and sharing the mental load at home. Her research includes a Harvard paper on the negotiation of domestic labour during COVID, a report on maternity experiences in venture capital, and a market map of tech startups in the UK care economy. Rachel was formerly a strategy consultant at Strategy& and has been Chief of Staff at two tech startups. She cycles with Brixton Cycles club, swims regularly, and volunteers with Nishkam SWAT.
Rachel studied Egyptology at Queen’s from 2012-15 and was a Fulbright scholar at Harvard Business School, where she obtained her MBA. She has been on the Board since 2024 and is particularly keen to help students try new experiences and pursue passions that might otherwise be beyond their means. Rachel was a grateful recipient of the award and used it to visit Egypt for the first time (despite studying Egyptology!).
