Boston School Committee member to lead national organization

Michael O’Neill, a longtime member of the Boston School Committee, will take over as chair of the board of directors of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 76 large urban school systems nationwide.

“As the nation’s urban public schools rise to meet the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council’s board is in capable hands with O’Neill and his leadership team,” said Michael Casserly, the council’s executive director, in a statement. “Their energy, knowledge and experience will be crucial as big-city school districts face the herculean task of reopening schools and providing for the safety and well-being of the 8.2 million schoolchildren they serve.”

O’Neill will serve in the post for one year and he will lead the 152-member board on a search to replace Casserly, who is stepping down as executive director next year after 43 years working with the group.

A resident of Charlestown and a graduate of Boston Latin School, O’Neill has been a member of the Boston School Committee since 2008 and has been actively involved with the Council of the Great City Schools for several years. O’Neill, who also is executive vice president at Zozimus Agency in Boston, said he is honored to hold the new post.

“I love the work I do for the council and for the Boston Public Schools,” O’Neill said in a statement. “As a graduate of a Great City School system, I know the value of an excellent public education and am committed, now more than ever, to make that possibility a reality for all of our students. The work is hard and the challenges are high, but the drive and commitment that is shared with all who do this work is unflagging.”