Paul H. O'Neill was sworn in as the 72nd Secretary of the Treasury on January 20, 2001.
O'Neill was chairman and CEO of Alcoa from 1987 to 1999, and retired as chairman at the end of 2000. Prior to joining Alcoa, O'Neill was president of International Paper Company from 1985 to 1987, where he was vice president from 1977 to 1985.
O'Neill gained valuable insights into international finance and the global economy as head of a major corporation with 140,000 employees spread across 36 nations. His experience transforming an old economy firm into a new economy success has been chronicled as a study by the Harvard Business School, and studied in business schools across the nation.
O'Neill previously worked for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, joining OMB in 1967, and serving as its deputy director from 1974 to 1977. He began his public service as a computer systems analyst with the U.S. Veterans Administration from 1961 to 1966.
He received a bachelor's degree in Economics from Fresno State College in California and a master's degree in Public Administration from Indiana University.
O'Neill was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in December 1935. He and his wife Nancy have four children and 12 grandchildren.
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