Michael O'Neal

Michael E. O’Neal, Ph.D. is Senior Research Fellow at Island Resources Foundation, an organization with offices in Washington, D.C. and the Caribbean, whose central mission is to assist small islands to meet the challenges of social, economic and institutional growth while protecting and enhancing their environments.

Former President of the H. L. Stoutt Community College, British Virgin Islands, Dr. O’Neal had previously served as the first Resident Tutor/Head of the University of the West Indies, BVI Centre, and as Core Professor at the Graduate College of the Union Institute in Ohio, where he supervised Ph.D. students in interdisciplinary studies.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. O’Neal was a managing director of the business enterprises of J.R. O’Neal Ltd (BVI). He has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Public Service Commission, the Development Bank of the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean Philanthropy Network, the Foundation for Development Planning, and as Chairman of the BVI National Parks Trust. He is currently a director of JOMA Ltd, a family-owned real estate management and development firm in the Virgin Islands.

A published author, Dr. O’Neal’s primary area of academic research is concerned with the political economy of development. His other research interests include medical anthropology and family business studies. He is a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute and holds its advanced professional designation in family business advising (ACFBA). He is also a member of the Minnesota-based Galliard Group network of family business advisors.

Dr. O’Neal is a member of several professional associations and learned societies, and is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute (U.K.) and of the American Anthropological Association.

Author, "Slavery, Smallholding and Tourism: Social Transformations in the British Virgin Islands" (QuidPro Books 2012)

Curator, "The Caribbean Family Business Daily," a daily aggregation of posts on issues relevant to Caribbean entrepreneurship and family enterprise. See Facebook link.