Louis F O'Neill

Lou O'Neill graduated in 1990 from Stanford University with a B.A. in Slavic Languages and Literature with Distinction. He spent 1990-1991 studying at Moscow State University as a Fulbright Presidential Scholar. He was able to return to Stanford on a FLAS Grant to earn his Master's Degree in Russian and East European Studies in 1992, after which he moved to Moscow for a year.

Returning to the U.S. in 1993, he was admitted to Harvard Law, from which he graduated in 1996 cum laude. He spent a number of years thereafter in private practice, first in the law firm of White & Case and later as Head of Business Development and General Counsel for a privately held merchant bank and venture capital company. He performed extensive pro bono criminal appeals work for New York's indigent, and was awarded the Legal Aid Society's Pro Bono award for these efforts.

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared that, "a genuinely free society cannot be a spectator society." With this sentiment in mind, President Johnson created The White House Fellowship Program, an intensely competitive, non-partisan program which encourages highly motivated and accomplished young people - such as Louis O'Neill - to apply for the chance to spend one year working directly under a Cabinet Members. There are usually up to 1000 applicants for the 11 to 19 spots open in any given year.

In 2004, Louis F. O'Neill made the cut and was assigned as Special Assistant to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Mr. O'Neill's strong background in Eastern European languages and culture made him a natural choice for the State Department and the Russia Desk. While participating in his Fellowship, Louis O'Neill was sent to Nagorno-Karabakh as an expert on a fact-finding mission for the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE). Later, Louis O'Neill be appointed OSCE Ambassador and Head of Mission to Moldova.