Professor Donald O'Neal

Donald O'Neal, professor of Management at the University of Illinois at Springfield, is the author of If Not Now, When?, a new book that is designed to help people stop procrastinating and actively pursue their lives' dreams. O'Neal has previously co-edited six volumes of strategic management papers and published a strategic management textbook. Explaining what prompted him to write a book that some might see as a departure from his established areas of expertise, he noted that nearly everything worthwhile that he has accomplished has been through dreaming big, setting goals, and perhaps most important, ignoring naysayers.
"Research has found that when people look back on their lives, what they regret most are the things they didn't do," said O'Neal. "I was fortunate to learn, early in life, that we can do almost anything we set our minds to, even if nobody else believes we can. With this book I hope to help others believe in themselves, and show them how to pursue their dreams."
He continued, "Dreams don't come true by themselves. We have to help them along, one goal at a time. It's fun to dream about the things you hope to do, someday. But if you don't do something about them now, how can you be sure you ever will?"
O'Neal speaks from experience. After a successful career, with executive positions ranging from engineering to sales to vice president of human resources, he took early retirement to complete a doctorate and began a second career in teaching. He has been a member of the UIS faculty since 1992.
At UIS, O'Neal teaches courses in leadership and strategy, organization theory, human resource management, and business ethics. He also serves as a visiting professor in the UIUC China Executive Leadership Program, where he focuses on strategic management, human resource management, and organization design.
He has consulted with a variety of corporate, not-for-profit, and governmental organizations and served as a scholar-in-residence and senior member of the Governor's Illinois Strategic Planning Advisory Council.