Bergen Community College

Bergen Community College general manager and technical coordinator for the theatres, Tom O’Neill, Ed.D., has managed over 500 theatrical productions at the Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre and the Ender Hall Lab Theatre since 2001.

“I have been working at what I am passionate about for the past 25 years at Bergen,” he said.

As an avid theatre professional, O’Neill has managed, instructed, directed, and designed for Bergenstages and the Office of Community Affairs. He has worked on productions for several high-profile celebrities, including the Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis, composer Philip Glass, folk performer Tom Paxton, and many more.

O’Neill has enjoyed being part of the Bergen community. He liked how the purpose of education aligned completely with what he has a passion for, and he appreciated that Bergen had a Child Development Center (CDC) that offered childcare so that he could bring his school age son to work with him every day.

“If one can see that we are all lifelong learners, then this is the type of environment to be working in: a community college,” said O’Neill.

“My own curiosity leads me to see how the ‘ah ha’ moment- when something is understood and learned- is a most fulfilling experience for anyone, but when you see a student have that experience you realize that being a facilitator for those experiences is of the highest rewards one can receive,” said O’Neill who taught stagecraft for 20 years.

“To help structure a person’s perspective on a subject is a position that should be highly respected and valued and most of all enjoyed,” he said. “And that is what I enjoy most – seeing a student have that ‘ah ha’ moment.”

O’Neill helped initiate the Stagehand Apprenticeship program with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its territories, and Canada (IATSE) Union and the New Jersey Department of Labor with Bergen theatre professor Jared Satzman, who passed away in 2025.

“Knowledge becomes the basis for being a contributor to society,” said O’Neill who actively engages in his community. “It is the building of knowledge with another person.”

Bergen’s Center for Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation (CPJR) awarded O’Neill with three grants for his “I AM FREE” project. One of the CPJR grants was awarded for O’Neill’s play, “Listen to the Black Chick Sing,” which debuted in September 2025. A fourth CPJR grant was awarded to O’Neill for his projected project that will culminate with the singing of the “I AM FREE” composition for the 2026-2027 academic year. Bergen student Jeanille Ettinoffe will sing O’Neill’s composition at the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration on January 19, 2027.

O’Neill began his 50-year career on the boards and behind the scenes after he graduated with his Master of Fine Arts from New York University. He earned his doctorate from National American University in 2019.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 24,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

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