Robert J. O’Neill, Jr. to Serve as Counselor to OMB
Director on Management Issues
Washington, DC, May 4, 2001 -- Office of Management and Budget
Director Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. today named Robert J. O’Neill, Jr. to serve
as Counselor to the Director on management issues. Mr. O’Neill, currently
President of the National Academy of Public Administration, will serve in
this capacity for up to 120 days. Mr. O’Neill will report to Director
Daniels and Deputy Director Sean O’Keefe beginning in early May 2001.
"President Bush has made improving government performance a top priority.
Bob O’Neill will play a central role in the development and implementation of
the management reforms that will make the Federal Government more citizen-centered,
results-oriented, and market-based. We are grateful to Bob and the National
Academy of Public Administration for bringing this wealth of management experience
and creative problem solving to OMB as we work to make our government more
efficient and responsive," said Director Daniels.
Mr. O’Neill will coordinate various policy and program issues with government-wide
management councils, including President’s Management Council, Chief Financial
Officers Council, Chief Information Officers Council, Procurement Executives
Council, and the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency. Additionally,
Mr. O’Neill will perform critical and sensitive reviews and evaluations of
OMB initiatives.
Mr. O’Neill expects to draw frequently on the resources of the National
Academy of Public Administration--the nation’s preeminent organization dedicated
to improving government performance at all levels. An independent, congressionally
chartered organization, the Academy has a long-standing reputation for nonpartisanship
and objectivity. The Academy’s membership consists of more than 500 current
and former public managers and scholars, business executives and labor leaders,
Cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators,
and diplomats. Mr. O’Neill will draw on the expertise of Academy Fellows and
staff for innovative solutions to current challenges and to act as a sounding
board for new ideas.
Before joining the National Academy of Public Administration in January 2000,
Mr. O’Neill served as Fairfax County Executive, where he oversaw Virginia’s
largest general-purpose local government with an annual operating budget of
$2 billion and approximately 11,000 employees. From 1984 to 1997, Mr. O’Neill
was the City Manager of Hampton, Virginia, where he was widely recognized for
his management improvements.
In 1996, Mr. O’Neill won the National Public Service Award presented
by the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society for
Public Administration in recognition of his contributions to public administration
over a sustained period of time.
In the early 80s, Mr. O'Neill was the Director of Management Consulting
Services for the Virginia offices of Coopers & Lybrand. 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.
Mr. O’Neill, 50, received his Master’s in Public Administration from
the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
He is a graduate of the Executive Program at the Colgate Darden Graduate School
of Business at the University of Virginia. He graduated summa cum laude from
Old Dominion University with a Bachelor’s degree in political science.