June O'Neill Appointed Chair of SUNY Potsdam College Council

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June F. O’Neill, Hon. ’99, has been appointed Chair of the SUNY Potsdam College Council.

POTSDAM, NY (05/21/2013)(readMedia)-- Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has designated June F. O'Neill, Hon. '99, as Chair of the SUNY Potsdam College Council, effective immediately. The Morley resident has served as a member of the College Council from 1978 to 2003, and from 2008 to the present.

This is the second time that O'Neill has been appointed to lead the SUNY Potsdam College Council; she also was named as chair of the group from December 1994 to March 1996. In her time on the council, she has chaired one presidential search committee and served as a member of two others.

"I am honored that the Governor has chosen to appoint me as Chair of the College Council. For 30 years, I have served as a member, and also previously chaired the council. SUNY Potsdam holds a very special place in my heart and family," O'Neill said. "This is an exciting time for the College. I am anxious to work with my fellow council members and our new Interim President, Dennis L. Hefner, to move SUNY Potsdam forward."

O'Neill will succeed Roger B. Linden '74, who was appointed to the College Council in 2003 and has served as Chair since 2004.

"I would like to extend my congratulations to June on her appointment as Chair. I am confident that she is capable," Linden said. "I will continue to serve as a member of the council until such time that I make another decision, or until someone has been appointed in my stead."

From 1967 to 1987, O'Neill served in various positions for St. Lawrence County, and was appointed the regional representative for Governor Mario Cuomo in 1983. She went on to join the state Office of Rural Affairs, eventually becoming the director and serving as a member of the Governor's Cabinet, until 1995. O'Neill then joined the Comptroller's Office as the executive coordinator for training and intergovernmental affairs from 1995 to 1999.

In recognition of her years of service to the College, the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association awarded O'Neill with Honorary Lifetime Membership status in 1999. That same year, she was named the director of intergovernmental relations for the Comptroller's Office, a position she served in until 2001. O'Neill continued as a project coordinator for the office through 2006.

O'Neill was the chair of the New York State Democratic Committee from 2007 to 2009. She continued as the executive committee chair for the committee until 2011.

Since then, she has served as the employer outreach manager for the Office of the Comptroller. O'Neill recently accepted a position as the North Country regional representative for the state Department of Labor.

Her husband, Ronald M. O'Neill, has served as Chair of the SUNY Canton College Council since 2008.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

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