Anne Catherine O'Neil

Anne O’Neil, P.E., CSEP, 53, a trailblazing engineer and jazz enthusiast, died peacefully on July 19th after a brief illness. She was surrounded with love and support from her parents, siblings, and cousins. Born July 26, 1971 in Preston, Connecticut, she lived in Boston, Atlanta, and New York City before returning to Connecticut. 

She attended St. Bernard’s High School in Uncasville, Connecticut. Anne also participated in a Catholic youth leadership group during her teens, where she discovered a passion for public speaking and began to develop her deep sense of faith. She remained active in the Catholic community in every city she lived, serving as a lector and member of parish choirs and young professional groups. 

Upon earning an electrical engineering degree from Tufts University, Anne began her 30-plus year career in the public sector. With a focus on transportation, her early projects included the Big Dig in Boston (if you ever drive through the Ted Williams tunnel and hear music play or receive a call, you can thank Anne for her contribution to that technology). Later, at New York City Transit, she was the founding Chief Systems Engineer. In 2009, Anne was featured in Money Magazine for having one of the best jobs in America. In the interview, Anne was praised for being a “big think” leader on ambitious projects who also embraced the creative aspects of her work. For Anne, the job brought together both her faith and her love of systems engineering. She told the reporter, “The transit system I work on really makes a tangible difference to people.”

To further carry out her mission driven work, Anne established AOC Systems Consulting LLC in 2014, and advised organizations globally who were adopting and applying systems engineering practices and capabilities. Her clients in the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. were in a diverse range of industries including automotive, buildings, and ground transportation. A respected systems catalyst, Anne addressed global industry forums, corporate roundtables, and graduate programs. She published widely, often on topics related to the adoption of systems engineering and technical leadership. In her most recent publication, Anne provided a technical summary of the state of Systems Engineering Adoption in the Automotive Industry.

Anne first became a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) as a student at Tufts, where she was the Section President during her senior year. That was the beginning of a lifelong commitment to diversifying the field of engineering and building community and expanding opportunities for women in the field. Anne served in a number of section, region, and society-level roles, including National Student Conference Chair for the SWE 1995 National Convention in Boston and, on behalf of SWE, as program chair for the World Federation of Engineering Organizations’ global colloquium Empowering Women in Engineering and Technology in 2007 in Tunisia. In 2002, Anne received SWE’s Distinguished New Engineer Award. For many women engineers, Anne will primarily be remembered as an insightful mentor, a role model, an inspirational team leader, and a valued friend. 

A passionate advocate for systems engineering, Anne had volunteered and served in multiple leadership roles for other professional societies, including the American Public Transit Organization, and the International Council of Systems Engineering (INCOSE). In 2011 INCOSE honored Anne with its prestigious Founders Award “for her persistence in extending the growth of INCOSE in the Commercial Domains and for her efforts to foster and enable effective working groups across widespread international members. She is a connector, a catalyst and a mentor."

Anne was a strong advocate for supporting increased diversity in engineering. In a recent Women in Mobility Spotlight she noted: “There’s more awareness and increased consciousness for the need and benefits to diverse contributions, and also for the dynamics and bias which can play out in environments like mobility engineering, which is still very male-dominated and not as diverse as it should be,” O’Neil said. “Our industry should continue to aspire to have a much stronger percentage of women and a diverse range of men and women—our challenges are only becoming more complex, and we need the most diverse complement of talent possible to generate the most creative, innovative and safe solutions.”  

Anne never stopped advocating for and encouraging others, her advice for others entering the field: “Keep your curiosity!” she said. “It’s a great skill for problem solving and it compels us to keep learning and adapting our way forward as technology continues to evolve and challenges unfold.”

Anne was also passionate about jazz. She especially loved attending live performances in New York City and bringing friends and families to shows. Her attention to detail was highlighted in her amazing penmanship which was a work of art to behold. Always brimming with energy, she was an active amateur tennis player and salsa dancer. A night owl, Anne’s ability to work late into the night aligned with her global consultancy. Although her slow-moving mornings led her Australian friends to nickname her “the koala”. 

The eldest of six children born to Mary Ann and Robert O’Neil, Sr., she took great joy in the antics of her six nieces and nephews. She is survived by her parents and her siblings Kathleen O’Neil, Robert O’Neil Jr., Sean O’Neil, Mary Elizabeth O’Neil and Meaghan O’Neil in addition to her extended family.

Rest in peace, Anne. You were a bright shooting star and those who met you were touched by your light.

A Mass of Celebration will be held on August 30, 2025, at 11 AM at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Preston, Connecticut. Those wishing to honor Anne's memory are invited to make a donation to Society of Women Engineers’ Anne O’Neil memorial scholarship.