Lunch With Tom O'Reilly

From car parts to academia: a career built on curiosity, service, and reinvention.

August 25, 2026, 1:00 pm Eastern time

We'll meet via Zoom. Grab some lunch—or appropriate food and drink for whatever time it is where you are—and (re)connect with classmates!

From car parts executive to college president, from volunteer tutor to elected President of the Boston School Committee, from corporate banking leader to electronics distribution executive, from Catholic Charities board member to Combined Jewish Philanthropies c-suite—either our classmate Tom O'Reilly hasn't been able to keep a job, or Tom's been exceptionally good at what he does.

Lucky or capable? You decide.

Born at what is now the Dimock Center in Roxbury, Tom was raised in Boston. One of seven children, Tom was the son of an English-language learner mother and a father with a ninth-grade education who died when Tom was still young. Tom attended Boston Public Schools, graduated from Boston Latin School, and a few years after college went on to earn an M.B.A. from Boston College. Tom’s also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Education degree from Pine Manor College and is a Fulbright awardee.

Throughout Tom’s career, Tom led complex nonprofit and corporate organizations with an entrepreneurial approach that consistently produced transformative results. In doing so, Tom built a reputation for earning the trust of diverse stakeholders, leading organizations through change, and bringing together people with different perspectives to achieve ambitious goals.

After graduating from Harvard with a concentration in Government, Tom headed to Washington, D.C., determined to pursue public service. Six weeks, hundreds of résumés (most rejected), and countless miles of worn-out shoe leather later, Tom landed a position on the staff of a member of Congress serving on the House Ways and Means Committee (think taxes).

"I didn't know I was supposed to know someone or anything in particular before going to Washington to get a job," Tom recalls.

That willingness to step into unfamiliar territory became a hallmark of Tom’s career. During Tom’s time in Washington, Tom came to an important realization: while government often shapes opportunity, businesses create most of the jobs that sustain families and communities. Wanting to understand both sectors better, Tom decided to earn an M.B.A. As an Irish-surnamed kid from Boston, degrees from both Harvard and Boston College would likely serve Tom well—whatever direction life might take.

As it turned out, life took Tom in many directions.

Career-wise, Tom went on to become a banker, financing many of New England's iconic companies; head of strategy and finance for what was then the nation's largest employee-owned electronics distribution company; Chief Operating Officer of one of the then largest commercial automotive parts distributors; President of Pine Manor College, now the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success at Boston College; administrative and financial leader for Combined Jewish Philanthropies; an elected public office holder in Boston; and a driving force in numerous nonprofit organizations.

On paper, Tom’s career path may appear unconventional. In reality, it reflects a consistent pattern: embracing unfamiliar challenges, learning quickly, building trust, and helping organizations to reposition and strengthen.

Join us to ask about the decisions, experiences, and values that connect these seemingly unrelated chapters into an extremely rewarding career. For the details, you can review Tom's résumé here.

CA79's Lunch With series allows us to hear some great stories and learn more about a classmate we might know a little—or not at all.

Questions about our programs? Write to us at classacthr79@gmail.com.