Gerry Burns was formerly Parliamentary Ombudsman and Commissioner for Complaints in Northern Ireland. He has just completed two terms as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council at the University of Ulster. In his earlier public service he was Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council and was strongly involved in developing the tourism product in County Fermanagh, particularly being involved in the special initiative for the Erne-Shannon Lakeland Study. He was Chairman of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Northern Ireland), a member of the Local Government Staff Commission, as well as the Local Government Joint Negotiating Committee. Recently he chaired a Review Body for Post Primary Education, and was an ex-officio member of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights.
His interests have also been in the private sector being a member of the Board of the Irish Times and a Governor with the Irish Times Trust as well as being involved with the BBC on the General Advisory Council. His past voluntary work includes Chairmanship of the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust, an assistant in the Morning Star Hostel for Homeless Men, patron for the Marie Curie Cancer Care and member of the University of Liverpool (Institute of Irish Studies) Northern Ireland Advisory Board. He is a former Grammar school Governor and Vice-Chairman of a Secondary School, former Treasurer of the Enniskillen Appeal Fund and is currently the Department of Education Representative on the Clogher Diocesan Committee. He served with the Historic Buildings Council, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Regional Committee of the National Trust. He is a graduate in Economics from Queens University, from which he has also received an Honorary Doctorate and was awarded an MBE. He is married has five grown-up children and lives in Enniskillen.