Paul H. O’Neill’s career was marked by leadership and vision, which he applied across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors—the same three sectors of the economy we address in our teaching and research.
The legacy of Paul H. O’Neill
O’Neill was known for his dedication to public and community service and his strong sense of integrity—occasionally in the face of powerful opposition.
He started his public service career as a computer systems analyst with the U.S. Veterans Administration in the early 1960s. After obtaining his MPA from Indiana University through the federal government’s Education for Public Management program, he returned to Washington, D.C., and worked with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for 10 years, ultimately serving as deputy director.
In 2001, O’Neill became the 72nd secretary of the treasury. Shortly after 9/11, O’Neill presided over a sudden downturn in U.S. economic growth but restored confidence by vowing to eliminate the funding source of terrorist attacks. He was instrumental in setting up a special task force to combat terrorist financing. O’Neill was an outspoken critic of the complexity of the U.S. tax code and an advocate for policy action on climate change. He resigned in 2002 over major policy differences with President George W. Bush’s administration.
A real leader hungers for the responsibility of making a difference.
— Paul H. O’Neill
O’Neill has served on many boards and was actively involved in influencing public policy, especially as it related to comprehensive healthcare reform and improving healthcare quality.
In 1997, O’Neill cofounded the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative to address the problems of regional health care. In 2005, he founded Value Capture, LLC, where he championed the idea that healthcare can be improved through the pursuit of perfect safety and clinical outcomes. In 2016, he was appointed to the board of the nation’s premier research hospital, the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Research Hospital.
Life and philanthropy
O’Neill was born into a military family in St. Louis, Missouri. He met his wife, Nancy, at Anchorage High School while living on a military base in Alaska. They have four children, twelve grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
In 2019, Indiana University named the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in his honor, following a $30 million gift from the O’Neill family to establish new student scholarships, fellowships, faculty positions, and the Paul H. O’Neill Center on Leadership in Public Service, among other initiatives. This followed a previous gift of $3 million from the family to help construct the Paul H. O’Neill Graduate Center on the Bloomington campus in 2017.
A Playbook for Habitual Excellence
A Leader’s Roadmap from the Life and Work of Paul H. O’Neill, Sr.
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