Jan O'Neill, MPA
Associate Researcher

Jan is a Community Engagement Specialist on the Robert Wood Johnson funded County Health Rankings and Roadmaps project. Jan’s role is to provide strategic guidance to communities that want to leverage the County Health Rankings to improve community health. She is part of a team that (1) develops online tools to connect communities to evidence-informed strategies and foster peer learning, (2) delivers technical assistance and training, and (3) recognizes and celebrates health improvement.

Jan has over 25 years of experience in organizational development, having worked in a variety of environments, including health care, government, the private sector, and education. She began her professional career as a classroom teacher, where she worked with early childhood, special education and middle school populations. After earning her Master’s in Public Policy & Administration from the University of Wisconsin’s LaFollette Institute, she led the design and implementation of the first quality focused leadership development program in the state which became the foundation for programs in Wisconsin’s state and local governments, businesses, and hospitals. Leaving independent practice, she joined a national management consulting firm specializing in the Deming (Total Quality) approach to systemic organizational improvement where she worked with manufacturing, insurance and other industries. Years later Jan returned to education, co-founding an educational consulting and training firm focused on improving public schools in the U.S. and Canada.

In addition to Jan’s career work, she has long been engaged in community initiatives, including leading a strategic alliance for early childhood education programs, supporting “re-entry” of juveniles from the corrections system, and training community leaders in collaborative skills and tools. Throughout her work life Jan has focused on building ownership for change, learning and improvement, whether in schools, health care environments, government, the private sector, or communities. She is a passionate advocate for creating broad opportunities for skillful leadership at all levels.

Contact Information

Jan O'Neill
UW Population Health Institute
610 Walnut Street, 528 WARF
Madison, WI 53726

Email: joneill2@wisc.edu