Mark ONeill graduated from the Lerner College of Business in 1983 with a degree in business administration. After a successful 20-year career at Pfizer, he recently retired and now resides in Bluffton, S.C. In retirement, ONeill has embarked on a new path as a self-employed author.
As an Outstanding Lifelong Lerner, ONeill reflected on how his time at Lerner College prepared him for his career, emphasized the value of building strong connections, and offered advice to current students and professionals.
Lerner: Why did you decide to pursue your program at the Lerner College?
ONeill: I decided to pursue my program at Lerner because I knew it would prepare me for life.
Lerner: What did you learn through this opportunity that you wouldn’t have learned anywhere else?
ONeill: I learned the importance of balancing hard work with interpersonal skills.
Lerner: Describe an important connection you have made through your program (personal, professional, peers, mentors, professors, etc.)
ONeill: An important connection I made was meeting my friends in my program and we’re still in touch to this day.
Lerner: If you were to describe your classmates in one word, what would that be?
ONeill: Successful.
Lerner: Fill in this sentence: “My program helped me become…”
ONeill: A much, much better person.
Lerner: What piece(s) of advice would you give to current UD students?
ONeill: My advice would be to learn emotional intelligence and balance that with your ambitions. It’s never too late to learn something new!
Lerner: What are your professional plans or next steps for the future?
ONeill: My plan is to write more books in the future.
Lerner: What piece(s) of advice do you have for fellow businesspeople?
ONeill: One piece of advice I would give fellow businesspeople is to gain the friendship and respect of people in your company, especially in other divisions, because you will need them someday and they will need you.
Lerner: What does it mean to you to be a Lifelong Lerner?
ONeill: To me, being a Lifelong Lerner means being a member of a community!
Lerner: What are your social media handles and/or website?
ONeill: X and Instagram is @JohnRobieIsBack and website is www.tocatchathief.com