From college to career: Christian O’Neal talks UALR

August 31 - September 6, 2015

By Becca Bona
For Christian O’Neal, things have a way of coming full circle. As current Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni and Development, he can pinpoint the exact date that he became involved with the UALR Alumni Association.
“It began with me stopping by the newly built Bailey Alumni and Friends Center on Oct. 31, 2002 to visit with the staff and renew my membership dues. I had no idea that paying my dues on that Halloween day would keep my connection to my alma mater so alive and lasting,” he says.
Growing up as an only child in Hot Springs, Ark., O’Neal and his parents had a Saturday ritual which involved visiting Little Rock. As they drove home, they always passed the UALR campus, and his dad would often say, “They have an excellent faculty.”
Perhaps this was in the back of his mind as he got ready to make his college decision. O’Neal was very active in high school, serving as the senior class president and the state vice president for Future Business Leaders of America. He has always been a handworker, and felt the pressure to choose the right path, which came down to picking the right school.
A letter informing him that he was named a Chancellor’s Leadership Corps Scholar made the decision easy for him. Freshman year he finally found himself on the campus, instead of driving by it on his way home to Hot Springs.
He initially chose broadcast journalism for his major, but switched over to business. “I’ve always been really passionate about telling a story,” he explains.
He also got involved in student government.
He remembers, “I was at the student center one day and someone said, “Why don’t you consider running for student government?”” He did, serving as president for two different terms.
O’Neal stayed busy during his time at UALR, keeping a job at all times. When he graduated, he would extend one of his long-time summer jobs, becoming the Manager of Guest Services at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls.
Soon after, however, he moved back to Little Rock to try his hand at something new. “After reflecting I decided I wanted to pursue an opportunity here with sales,” he says. He worked for Business World as a sales rep and enjoyed it. Plus, he felt that UALR had properly prepared him for the working world.  “I gained the skills and confidence at UALR to be successful,” he says.
O’Neal had found his path, it seemed, but suddenly he felt a pull back to his alma mater. When he visited the Bailey Center that particular Halloween, there was a job opening for a corporate and foundation relations officer. Through a “leap of faith” O’Neal left his previous successful venture in sales and headed to UALR.
He worked under Bob Denman, the current Vice Chancellor. A conversation they had one day eventually lead to his becoming the executive director of the alumni association.
“Bob approached me about my 10 year plan, and I told him at first that I wanted his job one day,” he says, laughing. “But then we started talking and he looked at me and said, “Why don’t you help make a mark on the alumni association?””
O’Neal has been leading the organization for ten years, and it has reached new heights in membership levels and fundraising that ultimately, has led to more students with scholarships.
With a can-do attitude, he and his team have put fundraising at the forefront for the organization. “I’m happy the UALR administration and the alumni board supported what we maintain is the cornerstone for the alumni association so strongly for close to a decade now,” he says.
O’Neal loves his job. “The best moments come every day working with UALR students. … It keeps my thinking fresh and inspired, knowing what remarkable things UALR students are capable of accomplishing in the classroom, and how engaged they are on campus and in Little Rock,” he says.
In 2013, O’Neal became the Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni and Development, which expanded his responsibilities considerably. “There’s no way I do this on my own … I have an excellent team of volunteers and dedicated staff who support it all,” he says.
O’Neal sees the association only becoming stronger in the future. “Because of the growth in our scholarship endowment, the association will fund over a half-million dollars in scholarships to UALR students between now and 2025. That’s quite the thrill when you consider that we started with only $80,000 total in the bank back in 2006.”
When not working, O’Neal loves to spend time with his wife, Julie, and three children, Mason, McKinley, and Beckett. He says, “Folks that know me well will tell you that I never unplug from work. To some degree, they are absolutely right. But, when I’m with Julie or the kids, it makes it a lot easier to unwind.”
He grew up swimming, and still enjoys down time by swimming laps, although lately he’s been working on distance running and getting more golf in his schedule.