Greenfield-Central High School Class of 1982
“Dave Hines was a young civics teacher when I was a student,” says Michael O’Connor. “He not only made learning fun and engaging, but he fed my interest in government. He helped us understand how it works, why it works and what it takes to keep it working. I am not sure I would have pursued my involvement in government and politics without his fostering that interest.”
Michael dedicated himself to that pursuit nearly as soon as he graduated in 1986 from Indiana University with his degree in political science where he received the Lyndon Baines Johnson Scholarship to work in the United States Congress. He also holds executive education certificates from the Public Affairs Council and the Harvard University Executive Education Program.
Beginning with his initial service on the Greenfield City Council from 1987-1991, his career has spanned decades and includes working in the federal government both in Congress and in the Clinton Administration at the US EPA. He was part of the Evan Bayh Administration as the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and served as Chief Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff in Indianapolis for Mayor Bart Peterson from 2000-2005. Michael was an Associate Vice President for Corporate and Government Affairs at Eli Lilly and Company for 13 years and retired from there in December of 2022. Currently he is the Vice President for Global Government Affairs at Inotiv, an Indiana headquartered global research organization helping the life sciences sector develop life-changing medicine.
Throughout his extensive career, Michael has demonstrated an ability to successfully manage and lead. Nominator John Kennedy emphasized Michael’s efforts in 2014 spearheading expanded investments in early childhood education in Indianapolis and statewide. He says, “Working with then Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, O’Connor led a multicorporate effort to create and fund the Indianapolis Early Childhood Education program that provided scholarships to low-income families to be used as tuition in high quality early learning environments for three- and four-year-old children in the city of Indianapolis. Michael and Lilly spearheaded the effort to raise $10 million dollars in corporate funding to match local government dollars and fund the Indianapolis program for five years as a pilot for replication statewide. Today, the statewide On My Way Pre-K program is available to low-income families in all Indiana’s 92 counties.”
Michael served from 2015-2020 as an elected commissioner on the Indianapolis Public School Board and served as the President of the Board of School Commissioners from 2018-2020. He serves on the board of directors and executive committee for the United Way of Central Indiana, which granted him the Outstanding Community Leader Award in 2018. He also serves on the Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana’s board of directors, the board of the Simon Youth Foundation, and the board of directors for the Indianapolis Indians, a AAA professional baseball team associated with the Major League’s Pittsburgh Pirates. He was chair of the Indiana Task Force of PhRMA for over 10 years.
Michael was selected as a Sagamore of the Wabash by Indiana Governors Bayh, O’Bannon and Kernan. He was selected as Irish Person of the Year by the Indianapolis Athletic Club Foundation in 2002 and received the Cardinal Ritter Award from the West Deanery of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for community service.
Adds John Kennedy, “I have known Mr. O’Connor for nearly two decades and consider him to be an outstanding community leader in many areas of Indiana. I have the greatest respect for his determination to improve just about anything he touches in life.”
As noted at the beginning, Michael is grateful for the impact Greenfield-Central educators had on his life. He says, “I use the lessons from Mary Parido, Dave Hines, and Nancy Herndon on an almost daily basis.” In addition to the pursuit of government and civil service instilled by Dave Hines, Michael adds, “I learned from Mrs. Parido the importance and the value of my education and not to take it for granted. To take what was provided to me by my family and my station in life as a gift that required my time and real attention, but that also created a responsibility to give back to others who were not blessed with the same opportunities I had been born into. I loved being in her classroom, she truly loved teaching. Nancy Herndon fostered my interest in history and presented the subject in a way that made me always want to learn more. She taught me that so much of the way things happen today are dictated by the history of our decision-making and that if you truly want to change the future, you must first understand the past.”
Michael states, “I value very much my education from Greenfield-Central and my upbringing in the area. If I were to say one thing that matters the most from my years there, it is the understanding of community. My community of friends from my high school years are still very close, and we see each other often. It is, however, that sense of ‘community building’ that I learned and hope that I have emulated over the years wherever I was and whatever I was doing. Building a work community that is inclusive and supportive. Building a neighborhood community that is welcoming to all. Building a friendship community that understands that we’re here for each other no matter what. That is what I learned and that is what I attempt to share each day.”
Michael and his wife, Anne, who is General Counsel for the Indianapolis Health and Hospital Corporation, have two adult children: Mary Catherine and Eileen Marie. Both are pursuing their passions in medicine and education.
Well done, Michael, and thank you!