A Hot Springs native was recently selected by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to take over as the next vice chancellor for advancement on April 1.
Christian O'Neal will head the university's fundraising, alumni relations and communications outreach efforts. He has been with UALR since 2003 and is the associate vice chancellor for alumni and development.
"It's a privilege to be asked to lead my alma mater's advancement team," O'Neal said. "UALR is a great Arkansas institution with a mission as compelling today as it was the first day I stepped on campus as a freshman. I am ready to work every day 24/7 to help UALR reach its full philanthropic potential."
O'Neal will succeed Bob Denman, who plans to retire at the end of March.
"We are fortunate to be able to hire Christian O'Neal as vice chancellor for university advancement to succeed Bob Denman," said Chancellor Joel Anderson. "Under Vice Chancellor Denman's leadership, our development operations have matured and achieved consistency.
"Christian O'Neal comes highly recommended. He knows our alumni, our advancement personnel and our community. He can maintain the university's momentum and lead in further strengthening UALR's fundraising efforts."
Hot Springs and Little Rock have been integral to O'Neal's academic and professional careers. He is the son of Ken and Diana O'Neal, who still reside in Hot Springs. His parents live on one side of Prospect Avenue and his grandmother, Margie Griffith, lives on the other.
"My center of town was really Prospect Avenue and Violet Street in downtown," O'Neal said. "A lot of my friends grew up on the lake, but I didn't."
His summers were spent hiking West Mountain and visiting Magic Springs & Crystal Falls. O'Neal's family was involved in the community through social clubs. His father was a manager for Arkla Gas Co.
O'Neal is a product of the Hot Springs School District. He attended Jones Elementary School, Hot Springs Middle School and Hot Springs High School. He said his local education allowed him to be successful at UALR.
The high school was visited by Marcia Smith, a Hot Springs resident and faculty member at UALR, during O'Neal's junior year. O'Neal was interested to learn what UALR could offer to students. He said he was intrigued by the passion with which Smith praised the university.
Smith is now faculty emerita at the UALR Department of Rhetoric and Writing and former associate director of the UALR Donaghey Scholars program. She recently joined the UALR Foundation Fund board of directors. O'Neal said the decision to attend the university was a "no-brainer" once he received a full scholarship.
"I am so passionate about this place," O'Neal said. "Besides marrying my wife, it was the best decision I ever made to go to that meeting that morning, meet Dr. Smith, and listen about what UALR does and means for so many people."
O'Neal enjoyed the opportunity to begin work at Magic Springs when he was old enough. He continued to work at the park until it closed.
O'Neal graduated from Hot Springs in 1995 and worked at least two jobs continuously during college. He took less hours per semester to work more and support himself. He graduated from UALR in 2001.
His professional career resumed at Magic Springs when the park reopened. O'Neal commuted from Little Rock to work 12 hours per day in Hot Springs after he attended class in the morning.
"It was neat, after about four or five years, to go back and have a hand in reopening that park," O'Neal said. "It really was special."
The seasonal job became a full-time position as O'Neal eventually became the manager of guest services and spokesperson for the park. He later moved back to central Arkansas to gain sales experience in downtown Little Rock.
A chance meeting with administrators in 2002 sparked his interest in returning to UALR in a professional capacity. He visited the Bailey Alumni Center to pay his alumni dues and was told the university planned to expand private philanthropic opportunities on campus.
Administrators knew O'Neal as a former president of the Student Government Association. A position opened six months later and he has been employed by UALR since June 2003.
"It really wasn't in the plan," O'Neal said. "I had hoped to someday operate and maybe even own Magic Springs."
O'Neal has served in roles of corporate and foundation relations, as well as executive director of alumni. He has helped raise $1.6 million in contributions and other revenue for the university since he began in his current roles in July 2013.
Signature events include the Taste of Little Rock, which raised more than $300,000 for scholarships. The 2015 event was the most-attended fundraiser in UALR history with about 1,000 guests. He also led a team responsible for the annual employee campaign, which had record participation of more than 70 percent in 2015.
O'Neal lives in Little Rock with his wife, Julie, and their three children, Mason, 11; McKinley, 6; and Beckett, 4. His passion for the university continues to grow after more than two decades of opportunities.
"It really was the front door to the American dream for me and it has been for many other people," O'Neal said.
More than 700 UALR alumni live in the Hot Springs area. The university brings alumni from across the state to Oaklawn Park at least once each year. O'Neal also helps organize an annual recruiting event with alumni at the Hot Springs Convention Center for prospective students from Garland County.
Local on 02/06/2016