Aidan Cassidy

Aidan was appointed as First Secretary and Head of Administration at the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington in August 2008. His role includes promoting NI interests in the US and in building relationships of mutual benefit across a range of areas, including economic development, education, science and technology and post conflict reconstruction.

Before taking up post in Washington, Aidan worked in Executive Secretariat in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) in Stormont Castle. He worked on a range of policy issues relating to the restoration of the political institutions in Northern Ireland, including the work of British Irish Council, the North South Ministerial Council, Civic Forum and North West Gateway Initiative. Prior to this, he worked for a number of years in the Department for Social Development, and led a major regeneration strategy for the redevelopment of the former Crumlin Road Jail and Girdwood Army Barracks in North Belfast.

From Nov 2002 to Jan 2004, Aidan worked in the Economic Policy Unit within OFMDFM. He served as a Private Secretary to two former deputy First Ministers in Northern Ireland – Seamus Mallon, MP, MLA and Mark Durkan, MP, MLA, from April 2001 to November 2002. Prior to moving to OFMDFM, Aidan worked in the Department of Agriculture for over 20 years in a wide range of postings focusing mainly on rural development initiatives and EU funding programmes. During his time in agriculture he was also the manager of a Fishing Villages Programme supported by the International Fund for Ireland and was a Private Secretary to four agriculture Ministers.

Aidan has a HNC in Business and Finance from the University of Ulster and is in the final stages of an MSc in innovative management in the public sector (University of Ulster and Letterkenny Institute). Originally from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, he now lives near Lurgan in Co Armagh with his wife Lynn and their 3 children. They currently reside in Georgestown, Washington DC.