Leigh O’Neill
Senior Advisor
Leigh O’Neill is a senior advisor at the Institute for Global Affairs, where she leads global affairs education for city officials. She brings deep experience in leadership development for elected officials and their senior teams at all levels of government to better understand foreign policy and global affairs. This includes working with mayors and local leaders in cities, which are increasingly shaped by—and shaping—geopolitical trends.
Before joining IGA, Leigh was Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at the Inclusive Abundance Initiative, and earlier oversaw the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, managing investments in leadership development for mayors around the world. She also served as Chief of Staff for Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation portfolio, working closely with city halls to translate global challenges into local solutions.
Leigh began her career in national security and foreign policy, including as Managing Director for Policy and Legislative Affairs at the Truman National Security Project and worked in the U.S. Senate, including for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee covering the Middle East. A Fulbright fellow in Jordan, she has also served as an election observer in Jordan and Lebanon.
A Boston native, Leigh earned her B.A. from Boston College and her M.A. in American Foreign Policy and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Click here to learn more about the City Leaders in Global Affairs program.
