The Boston Private Industry Council turns to steady hand

Big Pharma has a new scheme that will make them even more money: undermining patients' bargaining power and blaming anyone who gets in their way. If we want to solve the Rx cost crisis, we need to hold Big Pharma accountable. To find out how, go to saveourbenefitsma.org.

The Boston Private Industry Council, a nonprofit that’s a key cog in securing summer employment for young people, has a familiar business sector face coming in as its executive director.

Michael O’Neill, a longtime financial services executive who is also a member of Boston’s School Committee, will start the job in early January, succeeding Neil Sullivan, who has served the quasi-public organization for decades, after his time as a top aide to Mayor Ray Flynn.

O’Neill worked at SBLI and Citizens Financial Group in addition to his 17 years on the school committee. He later made a shift to digital marketing and public relations, and now works at Boston-based Zozimus.

The Private Industry Council, or PIC as it’s known, is a public-private partnership that involves the business community, city and state government, Boston public schools, and career development initiatives. The PIC, whose board members are chosen by the mayor, oversees the city’s two MassHire career centers. Stacia MacNaught, vice president of community affairs for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, chairs the board.

Isaacson Miller, the executive search firm tasked with finding Sullivan’s replacement, reached out to O’Neill, who is in his 60s, about the job. O’Neill was already involved with the PIC through its governing council and a panel focused on federal funding for youth initiatives.

“When I looked at it, it’s the intersection of all that I’ve been passionate about for years,” O’Neill said. “I saw it as a natural next step for me.”

The PIC already has a special consortium focused on health care careers, co-chaired by workforce development directors at Mass General Brigham and Boston Children’s Hospital. O’Neill said he would like to see the model expanded to the city’s other sectors, such as biotech and finance, but also to the sneakers who have Boston ties, like Converse and Puma. The burgeoning toy sector – Hasbro is following Lego into Boston – is another.

Artificial intelligence’s arrival is also changing jobs. “Workforce needs are rapidly evolving and we need to have our fingers on the pulse,” he said.

Student needs are evolving, too. “They’re thinking less of associate and bachelor degrees and more about certification for the next step of their career,” he added.

O’Neill’s new job also means that Mayor Michelle Wu will get a School Committee vacancy to fill. She reappointed O’Neill to another four-year term last December.

“He has an incredible record of many years of stewardship as a business leader, and of course, his many years of service as a school committee leader, and really being able to marry the two and to bring forward new ideas, more partnerships and ways to strengthen the opportunities that we can give our young people,” Wu told MASSterList.

Trivia time: Neil Sullivan, the outgoing executive director, played a role in a legendary clash on City Hall Plaza between Ray Flynn and a fellow mayoral candidate in 1983. Let me know if you know what piece of Boston political lore I’m talking about: [email protected].

MASSterList Job Board
Manager of Financial Assessments — NEW!, Center for Health Information and Analysis
Program Assistant, Clean Air & Water — NEW!, Conservation Law Foundation
Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Massachusetts Housing Partnership
Executive Director, Massachusetts Housing Partnership
Economic Development DirectorManager of Financial Assessments, City of Haverhill
Program Director, Building Electrification Accelerator

Jobs continue below the fold — post a job

HAPPENING TODAY

8:00 | Mass. Lawyers Weekly hosts a conference to "help lawyers address a range of risks, including reputational risks, public relations challenges, regulatory issues, and more." | Mass. Continuing Legal Education Conference Center, 10 Winter Place, Boston | Tickets

9:00 | The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meets. Commissioner Pedro Martinez will share results from the spring 2025 MCAS tests in English language arts, math, and science and technology/engineering, as well as results from the administration of the MCAS grade 8 civics test. | 135 Santilli Highway, Everett | Livestream

10:00 | Mass. Gaming Commission meets to hash out issues related to sports bettor limitations. |.Agenda and Access Info

11:00 | Gov. Maura Healey sits for an hourlong interview and takes listener questions on GBH News' Boston Public Radio from the outlet's Brighton studios, the latest in the recurring "Ask the Governor" series. | GBH 89.7 FM | Livestream

1:00 | Healey Administration and Finance Secretary Matt Gorzkowicz, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, and Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues hold a mid-year economic roundtable. | Room 428, State House, Boston | Livestream

FROM BEACON HILL

SERVICE PLAZA SAGA: Gov. Maura Healey defended the procurement process for a service plaza contract as “transparent” after Irish retailer Applegreen backed out of contract talks amid sharp criticism from losing bidder Global Partners. Healey did not say whether Global Partners now would get the bid as the runner-up, or whether the transportation officials will put the contract out to bid again. – Boston Herald

MCAS SCORES: The latest MCAS scores indicate students have not returned to a pre-pandemic level of achievement, results that state officials called “sobering.” – Boston Globe

SOLAR SUMMIT: Industry leaders in the solar sector and members of the Healey administration sought to refocus on the energy source as Massachusetts has fallen behind other states in installation rates. – State House News Service

NEWS NEXT DOOR

SALEM PARKING: The city of Salem eliminated minimum parking requirements for new apartments through changes to the city’s zoning code. – Salem News

ADUS GO EAST: Western Massachusetts counties are moving more slowly to adopt accessory dwelling units (ADUs) than other parts of the state, according to a statewide survey conducted by Gov. Healey’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. – MassLive

WARREN ON INSURANCE: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is taking aim at insurance markets, particularly homeowners and flood insurance. Warren says the skyrocketing costs are hitting middle class families. – Punchbowl

BUSINESS ON ICE: Store owners in a commercial corridor in New Bedford say federal immigration operations are hurting businesses, leading to a loss in sales. – New Bedford Light

OVERRIDE REJECTED: Voters in Hadley rejected a $2.25 million property tax override request to funnel more money to school and fire departments. The select board is now tasked with presenting cuts. – Daily Hampshire Gazette

A WIN FOR VOODOO: A state appeals court ruling came down in favor of a medical worker, who worships voodoo and was fired by UMass Medical Health Care for requesting a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine. – Eagle-Tribune

HARVARD V. TRUMP: The Trump administration escalated its fight with Harvard University, starting the process that could bar the institution from federal government business. – Harvard Crimson

CITY HALL SALARY: A Quincy citizens group gathering signatures to stop a 79% pay raise for Mayor Tom Koch fell short of getting enough for the November ballot. Their petition was 828 signatures shy of the requirement. – WBZ Radio

MORE HEADLINES

Gov. Healey vows necessary changes after Gabriel House fire

Drivers for Attleboro-Taunton transit authority go on strike

New Bedford’s fire department conducts first formal inspection of assisted living facility in 18 years

JOB BOARD

Do you have an open job you'd like to feature here? Click here to place a job board order, or email Dylan Rossiter at [email protected].