North End Resident Named to Fisher College Board of Trustees

Fisher College has announced Managing Director International at Tito’s Handmade Vodka, John McDonnell of the North End, as a new member of the Board of Trustees. The Board currently consists of 14 members, including four officers.

McDonnell has extensive leadership experience, managing top brands in the distilled spirits industry for over 30 years.  He has worked at Seagram’s, Patrón Spirits and now Tito’s Handmade Vodka.  As Patrón’s President/Global COO, McDonnell led the creation of an entirely new market segment, ultra-premium tequilas, now established across the globe.

McDonnell has long been a valued member of the Fisher community, sharing his globally acquired wisdom at undergraduate and graduate business events.

With his generous donation in 2017, McDonnell became a key factor in opening the McDonnell Family MBA and Entrepreneurship Center.  Located at 111 Beacon Street, it provides Fisher MBA students with high quality presentation tools, a place for effective study and an MBA Lounge for the collaborative development of new ideas.

“This special environment,” McDonnell says, “was designed to stimulate the invention of new concepts and businesses.  The students who create them will always remember Fisher as the catalyst for their creative thinking, a crucial aspect of a successful college experience.”

McDonnell was also integral in creating the Fifth Generation Inc. Endowment — a $50,000 annual scholarship fund spanning five years. It will be awarded each year to deserving first-generation Fisher College students from Boston’s inner city.  “We need to foster a culture of giving,” says McDonnell. “Not just at Fisher, but everywhere in the world.”

McDonnell grew up in Hyde Park and is a graduate of Suffolk University. Today he chairs the board at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. McDonnell’s generosity, deep Boston roots and passion for public service make him a highly esteemed member of the Fisher College Board of Trustees.