Mary Lou and Joe Quinlan are proud Philadelphia natives who married and moved to New York City in 1978.
Mary Lou’s career took her from Advertising Director of Avon Products to a highly-awarded decade in the ad industry, including CEO of NW Ayer&Partners. She founded women’s marketing consultancy, “Just Ask a Woman.” Mary Lou has written four books, including New York Times bestseller “The God Box” which she transformed into a solo play which she has performed in the US and Ireland. The play’s first workshop was held downstairs at the Irish Rep. The God Box Project raised over $600,000 for hospice, educational, and arts institutions.
Joe spent more than a decade working for Robin MacNeil and Jim Lehrer for their Report/ NewsHour on PBS. He was later president of two Time Inc television production companies. He has served on the board or advisory board of seven different not-for-profits, including Glucksman Ireland House at NYU, where he received his MA in 2013.
Via the Ireland Funds, they support a wide array of arts, cultural and educational groups in New York and Ireland, as well as endowed scholarships at their alma maters. Mary Lou traces her Irish roots to County Tipperary, Cork, and Monaghan. Joe’s family comes from Cork, Longford, Roscommon, and Fermanagh.