William H. Hannon receiving honorary degree from Loyola University Marymount in Los Angeles.

Mission Statement

To enhance the welfare and education of students in both public and private elementary schools, high schools and universities primarily within the greater Los Angeles area;

To aid in the advancement of health care and human services, especially for those least able to afford quality care;

To address the needs of the disadvantaged, aged, sick and the homeless;

To support and promote the values of Mr. Hannon’s faith through the support of the good works of the Roman Catholic Church.

Foundation History

William H. Hannon established this Foundation in 1983. The original Board of Directors consisted of all family members, including his brothers Patrick and Andrew, his sister Eugenie Buchanan and her husband John, and his niece Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead, who serves as the Foundation’s president today. Over the years, many of the original Directors who have passed away have been replaced with other family members or close friends of the family who knew Mr. Hannon and his ideals.

Board of Directors

Standing left to right: David Herbst, James Hannon, and David Burcham. Sitting, left to right: Nancy Cunningham, Fr. Robert Lawton, and Kathleen Aikenhead.

  • Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead

    PRESIDENT

    Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead , niece of William H. Hannon and a fourth generation Californian, has been a Member of the Board of Directors since the Hannon Foundation's inception in 1983, and has presided as president since 1994. She served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Loyola Marymount University for five years, and she serves on the Board of Trustees of Seattle University. She also was a trustee of the Catholic Education Foundation, and president of the Los Angeles Travel and Tourism Education Foundation. She was honored by Cardinal Mahony with the 2009 Cardinal's Award and was selected as Marymount High School, Los Angeles', Alumna of the Year. Kathleen earned a bachelor of science degree from Bucknell University.

  • James A. Hannon

    VICE PRESIDENT / CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

    James A. Hannon, nephew of William H. Hannon, has served on the Board of the Hannon Foundation since 1994. Jim is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Ferrazzi Greenlight, Inc., a consultancy and training firm. Previously, he directed the operations of one of North America's largest non-bank credit card processors, and he was a strategy consultant with the firm of Booz Allen Hamilton. Jim also serves as a Finance Committee and Mission and Identity Committee member for his alma mater Loyola High School of Los Angeles, where he served as board chair, and chair of the Audit Committee. Jim also is a member of Finance Committee for Verbum Dei High School of Watts, the Audit and Retirement Committee of Marlborough School, and is immediate past President of The Association of Catholic Student Councils (TACSC) where he continues to serve on the Committee on Trustees. Jim received his MBA with honors from the Anderson School at UCLA, where he was selected as commencement speaker, and he earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.

  • Nancy B. Cunningham

    VICE PREIDENT / SECRETARY

    Nancy B. Cunningham, niece of William H. Hannon, has served on the Board of the Hannon Foundation since 1990. She has been Vice President and Secretary since 1999. Nancy served on the Bishop’s “For the Love of God” campaign committee under the San Bernardino Archdiocese. She also served on the Board of Regents for Aquinas High School in San Bernardino. Nancy graduated from Loyola Marymount University with her Teaching Credential. She currently resides in the desert with her husband.

  • Robert B. Lawton, S.J.

    DIRECTOR

    Robert B. Lawton, S.J., was President of Loyola Marymount University. Dean of Georgetown College at Georgetown University for ten years, he was appointed president of LMU in 1999. He is a classicist, scripture scholar, administrator and priest. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fordham University (summa cum laude), he earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University where he was a Danforth and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. He has served on the Boards of Boston College, Fairfield University and Scranton University. He is a trustee of Loyola High School. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the William H. Hannon Foundation, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. As President of LMU, Father Lawton knew Mr. Hannon as a strong supporter of Catholic higher education. Father Lawton is now living at the Jesuit Retirement Residence in Baltimore, Maryland.

  • David A. Herbst

    DIRECTOR

    David A. Herbst is Managing Partner of Vectis Strategies, a national public relations and public affairs firm based in Los Angeles. He is a former chairman of two chambers of commerce in LA County and has served as the Honorary Mayor of Westchester/Marina del Rey. He has also served as both a LA City and LA County Commissioner. In 2008, he received the Westchester Family YMCA's first Kids Need Heroes Community Pillar Award in recognition of his community service. David currently serves on the Board of Directors of Homeboy Industries, St. Joseph Center, and the National Foster Youth Institute. David worked for the late William Hannon as a public relations consultant to the Foundation during the early 1990's. They shared a common bond through their alma mater, Loyola Marymount University, where David is a member of the Board of Regents.

  • David W. Burcham

    DIRECTOR

    David W. Burcham is the immediate past- president of Loyola Marymount University. He has devoted most of his professional career to higher education, and his association with LMU has been long and successful. David graduated from Loyola Law School in 1984 and, after seven years in public and private practice, he returned in 1991 to Loyola Law School and his first love - teaching. He was appointed senior vice president and dean of the law school in 2000, and served in that capacity until he was named LMU's executive vice president and provost in 2008. He is a recognized authority on constitutional law, clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Byron White (1986-87) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for Chief Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert (1984-86), and was in private practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (1987-91). David was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1984 and is a member of the American Bar Association. Prior to law school, David was a teacher and administrator in public schools. He graduated from Occidental College in 1973 and earned an M.A. in education administration from Cal State Long Beach in 1978. He currently serves as a trustee of Occidental College and Seattle University.