POTSDAM -- Morley resident June F. O'Neill has been selected by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo as chair of the SUNY Potsdam College Council, effective immediately.

O'Neill has served as a member of the council from 1978 to 2003 and from 2008 to the present.

This is the second time that she has been appointed to lead the SUNY Potsdam College Council; she also served as chair from December 1994 to March 1996.

In her time on the council, she has chaired one presidential search committee and served as a member on two others.

"I am honored that the Governor has chosen to appoint me as chair of the College Council. For 30 years, I have served as a member, and also previously chaired the council. SUNY Potsdam holds a very special place in my heart and family," O'Neill said. "This is an exciting time for the college. I am anxious to work with my fellow council members and our new Interim President, Dennis L. Hefner, to move SUNY Potsdam forward."

O'Neill will succeed Roger B. Linden, who was appointed to the council in 2003 and has served as chair since 2004.

"I would like to extend my congratulations to June on her appointment as chair. I am confident that she is capable," Linden said. "I will continue to serve as a member of the council until such time that I make another decision, or until someone has been appointed in my stead."

From 1967 to 1987, O'Neill served in various positions in St. Lawrence County and was appointed the regional representative for Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1983.

She went on to join the state Office of Rural Affairs, eventually becoming the director and serving as a member of the Governor's cabinet, until 1995.

O'Neill then joined the Comptroller's Office as the executive coordinator for training and intergovernmental affairs from 1995 to 1999.

In recognition of her years of service to the college, the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association awarded O'Neill with Honorary Lifetime Membership status in 1999. She was also named the director of intergovernmental relations for the Comptroller's Office, a position she served in until 2001. O'Neill continued as a project coordinator for the office through 2006.

She was the chair of the New York State Democratic Committee from 2007 to 2009. She continued as the executive committee chair for the committee until 2011.

She has since served as the employer outreach manager for the Office of the Comptroller. O'Neill recently accepted a position as the North Country regional representative for the state Department of Labor.

Her husband, Ronald M. O'Neill, has served as chair of the SUNY Canton College Council since 2008.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu.