JOHN O'NEILL

Executive Vice President,
Fleet Bank

BY MAUREEN TRAXLER

With 39 years in the financial services industry, and fifty-percent of that time spent on Long Island, John O'Neill says that working in a business where he had many occasions to meet people, he naturally became involved in community service and the missions of nonprofit organizations.

O'Neill's career began at Marine Midland Bank in 1964. His 27 years at Marine primarily focused on corporate/commercial loan responsibilities.

In 1992, he resumed working on Long Island when he joined NatWest to oversee their commercial loan business base. In May of 1996, NatWest was acquired by Fleet Bank, and O'Neill was appointed executive vice president. In his position as Long Island's senior officer, O'Neill feels that coordination with Fleet's various lines of business is "vitally important, so that we deliver the right services for our customers."

"As a community, Long Island is different from Manhattan," says O'Neill. "It has its own feel and its own business community." And after devoting much of his career to "serving the needs of mid market and small businesses on Long Island," O'Neill felt that he could be effective in helping raise funds for nonprofit organizations.

O'Neill serves on the board of directors of the Long Island Association, spreading the LIA's message to help Long Island flourish as a place to do business. With the LIA, he has focused on varied issues from the LILCO crisis following the Shoreham debacle to Nassau County's budget crisis, actively trying to set direction and identify the County's needs for recovery. O'Neill has also turned his attention to attracting technology companies to Long Island, easing the "brain drain" of college grads not returning to the Island upon completion of their studies, and attacking affordable housing problems.

"The LIA board takes up community, business and individual issues," remarks O'Neill, in its attempts to understand "what needs to be done to have Long Island continue to be an attractive place to live and work."

O'Neill has taken an active role with the Long Island Committee for the Regional Plan Association. RPA's current work is aimed largely at implementing the ideas put forth in the Third Regional Plan, with efforts in five project areas: community design, open space, transportation, workforce and the economy, and housing - all hot-button issues on Long Island. O'Neill's main area of interest is the Nassau County "hub," and he highlights the need for transportation improvements. "Long Island is seen as a parking lot," O'Neill remarks, cautioning that leaders must be "visionary," and "strategic."

O'Neill first became acquainted with the services of the Association for the Help of Retarded Children as he watched his Aunt Nancy interact with her own retarded child. Seeing that she was able to help her child live a normal life spurred his desire to join AHRC's board of directors. O'Neill has also served on the board of the American Cancer Society and Friends of the Arts, and was a supporter of United Way. He has been honored by numerous nonprofit organizations, among them the Parker Jewish Foundation, Nassau County Boy Scouts, and Long Island Cares.

Having had the opportunity to serve as a board or committee member of various organizations, O'Neill believes that in these capacities, it is important "to get involved in more than just fundraising." He has made a practice of getting involved "across the board," from planning and advising organizations to assisting the Friends of the Arts, for example, in identifying concert music venues and programs.

In line with his interest in assisting worthwhile organizations, O'Neill has been actively involved with Project GRAD, a national organization based in Houston that provides comprehensive, high quality K-12 academic preparation as a precursor to a successful college experience. Project GRAD is currently helping Roosevelt School District improve the educational experience for its students, and O'Neill heads the fundraising committee for Roosevelt's Project GRAD board of directors. His fundraising and networking efforts have already been invaluable in introducing the start-up organization to the Long Island philanthropic community. Most recently, O'Neill was instrumental in teaming with Jack Bransfield of Roslyn Savings Bank to generate financial support for Project GRAD from more than 15 banks based on Long Island and in New York City.

At Fleet, O'Neill supports the bank's corporate giving plan, and encourages employees "to stretch themselves" and get involved in community service. Fleet's extensive corporate and employee participation includes involvement in, among other efforts, LIVE, the Long Island Volunteer Enterprise, through its volunteer team called Fleetworks; Long Island Cares, working to end hunger on Long Island; Fleet's Holiday Toy Drive, and Fleet's numerous sponsorships of fundraising events.

A believer in cooperative effort, O'Neill uses his management skills to help his employees meet their potential. He often assists them with career planning and has been instrumental in developing flex-time schedules to ease family situations. "It's important to focus on the needs and objectives of all our employees," he says. "That's part of keeping people motivated and happy in their job situation."

A graduate of The College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, O'Neill serves on the President's Council, attending college functions and offering monetary support. He received a master's degree in business administration from New York University's Graduate School of Business.

O'Neill resides in Garden City with his wife Margie. Each of their four children reside in the New York metropolitan area. He enjoys the challenge of chess, a round of golf, an occasional set of tennis, and has a passion for college basketball. The O'Neill's weekend and summer home in Water Mill remains "an idyllic getawayÉwith lots of outdoor activities."An avid cartoon collector, he has assembled "O'Neill's book of cartoons," featuring unique and humorous representations Ñ "It's my own Hall of Fame," he says.