The 2013 Awardees

H.R.H. Prince Turki Al-Faisal

BSBA 1968
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, former ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the Court of St. James and to the United States, received the John Carroll Award in ceremonies held at Guildhall, London England, on April 20, 2013.

The awards release on the prince noted the following: "Prince Faisal was born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. After moving to the United States for high school, he came to Georgetown, where he organized a campus conference on Islam during his freshman year. Prince Faisal has also done post-graduate work at Cambridge University and the University of London, where he took courses in Islamic law and jurisprudence .

"Prince Faisal was appointed advisor to Saudi Arabia's Royal Court in 1973. In 1977, he was appointed director general with a rank of minister of the General Intelligence Directorate, Saudi Arabia's main foreign intelligence service. He served as the head of the GID until 2001.

"In 2002, Prince Faisal was appointed Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. He served in that position until 2005, when he was appointed ambassador to the United States. He retired in 2007.

"Prince Faisal is a founder and trustee of the King Faisal Foundation and the chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. Prince Faisal was a Commissioner at the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. He is a trustee of the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies at Oxford University, and he received an honorary law degree from the University of Ulster in 2010 and one in international relations from the University of Hankuk in Seoul. He is on the advisory boards of the Kuwait National Bank, the Munich Security Conference and the World Economic Forum.

Prince Faisal is a member of the board of trustees at Georgetown's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. He has also taught as a visiting distinguished professor at the university."


Thomas J. Benz

BSFS 1970 MSFS 1973
London England

Thomas J. Benz, a London-based attorney, received the John Carroll Award in ceremonies held at Guildhall, London England, on April 20, 2013.

The awards release on Benz noted the following: " Benz received his bachelor's degree from the School of Foreign Service in 1970 and continued to graduate-level studies in the SFS. After a year in Bonn, Germany, on a Adenauer fellowship, Benz earned his MSFS degree in 1973. He then attended Cornell Law School, from which he graduated in 1975.

"Benz relocated to London in 1981, where he is currently a corporate partner at Winston & Strawn. He concentrates his practice in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, securities, commercial lending and corporate finance transactions. Benz specializes in helping U.S. businesses make investments in foreign companies, and vice versa. He also represents numerous clients in the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of international transactions involving business enterprises in a number of countries, including Russia, Greece and Bermuda.

"Benz is the senior partner of Winston & Strawn's London office. He is a member of the American Bar Association's corporation, banking and business law section, as well as its international law and practice committee. He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association's business law section and London's Institute of Directors. Since 1994, Benz has been a valued member of the Alumni Admissions Program, for which he served on the board of advisors. Benz has also been active in the City Alliance."


John C. Colligan

BSFS 1976
Santa Cruz, CA

John C. ("Bud") Colligan, a California-based ventire capitalist, received the John Carroll Award in ceremonies held at Guildhall, London England, on April 20, 2013.

The awards release on Colligan noted the following: " From launching a campus grocery store to founding one of Silicon Valley's most successful software companies, Bud Colligan has proven to be an innovative entrepreneur and leader among his peers.

"As an undergraduate, Colligan led Students of Georgetown, Inc. for the 1973-1974 academic year and founded Vital Vittles, the Corp's hallmark grocery store. Colligan graduated in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in international economics. In 1983, Colligan received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. From 1983-1988, Colligan worked at Apple Computer, assisting in the development and launch of the groundbreaking Macintosh personal computer, introducing the Macintosh throughout Europe and heading Apple's higher education marketing team.

"Colligan became the CEO of Authorware in 1989 and later co-founded Macromedia in 1992 through a merger of Authorware and Macromind-Paracomp. During Colligan's seven-year tenure, Macromedia grew from a start-up to a leading multimedia software company, going public on NASDAQ in 1993. In 1996, Colligan was named Software Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. In 2005, Macromedia was acquired by Adobe Systems.

"Currently, Colligan is a partner with Accel Partners, a global venture capital firm, and Founder and CEO of South Swell Ventures, a private investment firm. He also sits on the board of directors of Yodlee and Lynda.com. Colligan is co-founder and chairman emeritus of Pacific Community Ventures, an organization focused on providing capital and venture services to entrepreneurs in low income areas throughout California. He is a member of the board of trustees of Universal Giving, past chairman of the board of directors of JobTrain, and past board member of the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation.

"Colligan served on Georgetown's Board of Regents from 2003-2009 and has served on the SFS Board of Visitors for the past 15 years. He also served on the Georgetown Scholarship Program board. In 2008, Colligan co-founded the Georgetown Technology Alliance and currently sits on its board. He was an integral member of the planning committee for John Carroll Weekend San Francisco in 2011."


Timothy J. O'Neill

JD 1977
Greenwich, CT

Timothy J. O'Neill, an executive with the New York firm of Goldman Sachs and Co., received the John Carroll Award in ceremonies held at Guildhall, London England, on April 20, 2013.

The awards release on O'Neill noted the following: "O'Neill earned a Bachelor of Science degree from King's College in 1974, then went on to earn a J.D. from Georgetown in 1977. He continued his law education at New York University, where he received a Master of Laws degree in 1981. O'Neill joined Goldman Sachs & Co. in 1985 and became a partner in 1990. He is currently the global co-head of the investment management division and serves on the firm's management committee.

"Generous with his time and talent, O'Neill provides direction and leadership on the boards of many worthy organizations. He is a trustee and chair of the investment committee at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. On the board of the National Museum of American History, O'Neill is the chairman of the development committee. He serves on the board of overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences and is chairman of the business finance committee...

"At Georgetown, O'Neill serves on the Board of Directors as the chair of the medical center committee and a member of investment committee. O'Neill and his wife, Linda (NHS'77), established the multidisciplinary O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law in 2007 to respond to the need for innovative solutions to the most pressing national and international health concerns.

"The O'Neill's are generous supporters of both the law school's O'Neill Law Alumni Center and the O'Neill Family Foundation Clinical Simulation Center at the School of Nursing & Health Studies, a cutting-edge educational facility with high-fidelity patient simulators, mock hospital units and exam rooms, and observation areas for faculty. The O'Neills have also endowed student scholarships and a professorship in national and global health law."


Dr. Regina Torsney-Durkin M.D.

AB 1973, MD 1977
Ft. Washington, PA

Regina Torsney-Durkin, a retired neurologist from Ft. Washington, PA, received the John Carroll Award in ceremonies held at Guildhall, London England, on April 20, 2013.

The awards release on Dr. Durkin noted the following "A devoted mentor and advocate for Georgetown's medical students, Dr. Regina Torsney-Durkin has served her alma mater with grace, humor and humility. The oldest of six children, Torsney-Durkin was born at Georgetown Hospital and earned a degree in biology from Georgetown College in 1973...After her graduation, Torsney-Durkin immediately entered the School of Medicine, following in the footsteps of her father, Jerome M. Torsney, M.D. (C'49,M'53), and her uncle, Philip J. Torsney, M.D. (C'53, M'57)... After marrying Thomas J. Durkin, Jr., M.D. (M'77), in Dahlgren Chapel the day after their medical school graduation, Torsney-Durkin moved to Philadelphia to pursue her neurology residency. She spent her career as a neurologist in both private practice and teaching positions in Norristown, Pa., and Philadelphia. At the time of her retirement in 2012, she was the director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center for Caring at Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

"Torsney-Durkin serves on the Medical Alumni Board and the Board of Governors, and is a member of Hoyas Unlimited, the Hoya Hoop Club and the Library Associates. She is also the vice president for medical alumni of the Georgetown Club of Philadelphia. Torsney-Durkin is an Alumni Admissions Program interviewer and has enjoyed many opportunities to mentor Georgetown medical students through white coat sponsorships, a scholarship endowment, and outings to basketball games, museums, and meals. She is a dedicated supporter of Campus Ministry and received the School of Medicine's Founders Alumni Award in 2009, a testament to her generous service and philanthropy."