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O'Neill, an Academy Fellow since 1997, brings
to the organization a strong record of innovation and performance-based
management in state and local government and substantial experience
in the management consulting field. His entrepreneurial thinking
and history of leadership mesh with the Academy's 33-year
record of helping governments improve their efficiency, effectiveness,
and accountability.
Since August 1997, O'Neill has served as
Fairfax County Executive, a position in which he oversees
Virginia's largest general purpose local government with an
annual operating budget of $2 billion and approximately 11,000
employees. He is credited with developing a series of strategies
aimed at revitalizing older residential communities and commercial
areas within Fairfax County. This year, he launched the development
of a pay system with variable awards based on performance.
O'Neill's "reinvention" of the
government of Hampton, Virginia as city manager between 1984
and 1997, was widely recognized by organizations such as the
National League of Cities and Public Technology, Inc. and
by writers such as David Osborne and Ted Gaebler, authors
of Reinventing Government. In the 1997 book Banishing
Bureaucracy, by Osborne and Peter Plastrik, O'Neill's
efforts form the basis of a chapter on "Creating an Entrepreneurial
Culture" in government organizations. Among O'Neill's
many accomplishments were a downtown and waterfront revitalization
initiative and development of a nationally recognized "youth-at-risk"
program.
For his efforts, in 1996 O'Neill won the
prestigious National Public Service Award presented by the
Academy and the American Society for Public Administration.
The award recognizes individuals who have made a difference
in public administration for a sustained length of time.
"Mr. O'Neill has a clear understanding
of the fundamental changes taking place throughout our governance
system," said Academy Board Chair Jonathan Howes. "The
vision and leadership he has demonstrated throughout his career
will serve the Academy well as it seeks new opportunities
to improve this system."
Howes added that O'Neill's "extensive
experience in improving the involvement of citizens in government
and the wisdom he has shown doing so," are especially
important at this point in our nation's history. "While
he has been an enormously effective manager, he has also been
a important leader within the communities he served."
"The Academy is fortunate to have someone
of Bob O'Neill's experience and stature to be its next president,"
said Fosler. "Bob not only is recognized as one of the
top city managers in the United States, but he understands
the broad challenge of governance confronting the country
at all levels-federal, state, and local. He is also a good
friend, and I look forward to working with him to produce
a smooth transition."
In the early 80s, O'Neill was the Director
of Management Consulting Services for the Virginia offices
of Coopers & Lybrand, one of the former "big six"
accounting firms. Previously he served as regional manager
for the Management Improvement Corporation of America, providing
financial analysis and organizational restructuring support
for cities and counties throughout Virginia.
At the Academy, O'Neill will take the helm
of a program of research and advice to government that has
been growing rapidly in recent years and has been expanding
into state and local government. Over the last decade, the
Academy has more than tripled in size in terms of the number
of annual projects, annual revenue, number of staff, and value
of the endowment.
The Academy typically undertakes 40 to 50
projects a year, including overall management reviews initiated
by Congress of such agencies as the Department of Housing
and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, and the General Accounting Office.
The backbone of the Academy's activities is its membership
of more than 500 Fellows who are elected for life by their
peers for a sustained contribution to the field through public
service or scholarship. Fellows include current and former
Cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors,
legislators, diplomats, scholars, and public managers.
O'Neill received his Master's in Public
Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and
Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He graduated summa
cum laude from Old Dominion University with a bachelor's degree
in political science. He is also a 1984 graduate of the Executive
Program of the Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business
at the University of Virginia.
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