Michael O’Neill Selected as the PIC’s Next Executive Director
September 30, 2025
For Immediate Release
The Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) is excited to announce the selection of Michael O’Neill – a Boston business, civic, and education leader – to serve as its new Executive Director, effective Monday, January 5, 2026. O’Neill will succeed Neil Sullivan, a longtime leader in workforce development and youth employment, who has served as executive director of the PIC for more than three decades.
“The Board is delighted that Michael has agreed to bring his decades of public-private partnership experience and leadership in Boston’s business and civic communities to the role of PIC executive director,” said Stacia MacNaught, Chair of the PIC Board of Directors and Vice President, Community Affairs and Chief of Staff to the CEO for External Affairs, Vertex Pharmaceuticals. “In a very strong field of applicants, Michael brought a unique set of qualifications, along with a deep familiarity with the PIC and a vision for its potential going forward.”
“I am thrilled that the Boston PIC has chosen Michael O’Neill, a trusted advisor to business leaders, BPS superintendents, and Mayors, to lead this organization into its next chapter,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Michael’s distinguished business career and his long service on the Boston School Committee will be tremendous assets as the PIC, the City, and our educators and employers work together to prepare our students and residents for good jobs and careers amid a changing world of work. I also offer my heartfelt congratulations to Neil Sullivan and his family as we celebrate Neil’s remarkable service to the City. I know he will continue to lend his energy and many talents to the people of Boston, particularly our students.”
“Michael’s deep commitment to the Boston Public Schools combined with his private sector experience will be incredibly valuable as he leads the Boston PIC in this next chapter, including a strong focus on preparing untapped talent with industry-led skills to compete,” said Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones. “The Healey- Driscoll Administration, including the Workforce Skills Cabinet, looks forward to teaming up with Michael as we continue to work closely with all MassHire regional workforce boards to prepare and connect skilled talent with employers.”
A life-long Bostonian and graduate of the Boston Public Schools, O’Neill has spent more than 25 years with some of Boston’s leading financial service firms, including SBLI, U.S. Trust and Citizens Financial Group. He currently serves as Executive Vice President for Zozimus, a digital marketing and public relations firm headquartered in Boston.
“In the nearly three decades that I have known and worked with Mike, he has served as a trusted member of the Boston business community. His experience and expertise will be a valuable asset as the PIC continues to grow,” said Lisa Murray, Massachusetts State President, Citizens. “The PIC’s commitment to workforce development and public-private partnerships is aligned with Citizen’s mission to help people build the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing environment.”
O’Neill has been a member of the Boston School Committee since 2008, serving as Chair from 2013 to 2017 and currently as Vice Chair. He will conclude his service on the School Committee at the end of the calendar year. In addition, O’Neill has served as a longtime member of the Private Industry Council, which acts as Boston’s MassHire workforce board, serving as the chair of the committee which oversees the distribution of federal workforce development funding for youth.
The PIC Board of Directors approved O’Neill as the organization’s next executive director as recommended by a search and selection committee comprised of PIC Board members and city officials, supported by the executive search firm of Isaacson, Miller.
“We conducted in-depth interviews with some extraordinarily talented candidates. We recommended Michael based on his exceptional background and his passion for the PIC’s education and workforce development agenda,” commented Danny Best, a Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, who served on the PIC search committee.
The Boston Private Industry Council is the city’s workforce development board, one of the Commonwealth’s sixteen MassHire workforce boards. Council members are appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu. For more than 45 years, the Boston Private Industry Council has worked at the intersection of education and workforce development to connect Boston residents to promising career pathways, while creating a diverse talent pipeline for local employers. The PIC is a key partner for the Mayor’s summer jobs program, annually connecting hundreds of Boston students with jobs in the private sector through a network of PIC career specialists who work inside city public schools.
The PIC charters Boston’s two MassHire career centers, currently operated by JVS downtown and ABCD in Roxbury. The Council oversees the distribution of federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) revenue, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Worker Empowerment Cabinet, which includes the Office of Workforce Development (OWD) and the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity (YEO).
The PIC is also a school-to-career intermediary organization that focuses on the Boston Public Schools, its students, and its graduates as the foundation of the city’s long-term workforce development and diversity strategy. The organization hires and deploys front-line staff to work directly with priority populations, creating a tight loop between policy and practice, continuously informed by data analysis and research.