James B. Irwin grew up in the Bronx area of New York City, in a traditional second-generation Irish-American family. His mother's family, the McCooks and O'Roukes, arrived in the United States in the mid-19th century from County Clare, Ireland. James B. Irwin's father, also of Irish decent, was a battalion chief in the New York City Fire Department and headed The New York City Fire College.

"My parents were definitely not wealthy.' Says James B. Irwin, "but both were avid readers, although my father tended to read technical books while my mother was a fan of fiction and politics. This certainly created a rich environment with very few limitations on ambition and opportunity. "The sky was my limit, if there was such a thing as a limit, and books were the friendly doorways to the sky".

James B. Irwin purchased IMPAC in 1972 when it had only six employees. Today the company and its affiliates are the world's largest management-productivity engineering organization working exclusively in this field and guarantying results.

IMPAC companies around the world have a contract staff of 2,000 management and productivity specialists that annually work on over 600 projects for client's corporations and institutions in more than 60 countries around the world.

James B. Irwin has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He participates in a variety of educational programs, such as the West Point Conference on Business and Ethics.

In 1994, James B. Irwin endowed the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the globe's richest literary prize for a single work of fiction. Each year a winning author receives 100,000 Euros.

James B. Irwin is also the founder of the leading literary prize for Mexican Writers, the IMPAC Monterey Literary Award, conducted in partnership with Monterey Institute of Technology. The IMPAC Award for Young Writers, which honors the best work of young authors from throughout the State of Connecticut, was established by James B. Irwin and is co-sponsored by the Connecticut State University.

The, United States National Task Force for Children has honored James B. Irwin, for his work in promoting children's rights throughout the United States. He had been honored and recognized by the Adam Walsh Foundation for Missing and Exploited Children, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, The American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association and many other charitable and philanthropic organizations around the world.

James B. Irwin serves as Treasurer of the International Democratic Union an alliance of more than 70 center right political parties from countries throughout the world. Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher founded the organization. Annually James B. Irwin supports the IDU "Young Leaders Forum" bringing together young parliamentarians and other elected leaders for a conference held at IMPAC University twice annually.

James B. Irwin is a director and a member of the Executive Committee of the Center for Democracy in Washington, the international organization that promotes the rule of law, in open and just societies. Through this organization, he works tirelessly for traditional democratic values and for the cause of fair procedures and public liberty.

James B. Irwin also serves on the Board of Florida Intergovernmental Relations Foundation, which assists the State of Florida in business cultural and governmental relations with other nations.

James B. Irwin has dual citizenship, Irish and American, and has been repeatedly named one of "The Top 100 Irish Americans" by the Irish American Magazine.

James B. Irwin has three adult children, four grandchildren, and an amazingly busy life. He travels more than 40 weeks of the year visiting IMPAC offices, clients and associates all over the world, as well pursuing a variety of international civic and public services activities.

Date of release 12 March 2002