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Tom Boland is Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) since January 2004.  The HEA is a statutory body established to allocate public funding to Irish higher education institutions; to oversee performance of the higher education and research sector generally and to advise the Minister for Education and Skills on the development of the sector.

He is Chairperson of the Board of HEAnet (a public sector company which provides high quality internet services to the Irish education and research system).  He is a member of the Board of the Central Applications Office and the Governing Board of IMHE, the OECD higher education programme.  He has previously served on the boards of Science Foundation Ireland and the Fulbright Commission.

He holds degrees in Civil Engineering and Law and was called to the Irish Bar in 1987.