Champion of Causes

Fan Male

by Drew Ermenc

May 1, 2008

As the chief financial officer and executive vice president  of Cox Enterprises, Robert C. O’L eary isn’t the normal public face of the multifaceted, multibillion-dollar company; he’s more of an operations and finance man, a position complementary to his soft-spoken nature. But his demeanor shifts when his charitable causes become the topic of conversation. His voice swiftly gains intensity, his northeastern accent becomes more defined and his passion becomes crystal clear. O’L eary, who just announced his retirement this summer, although he will remain on the Cox Enterprises board of directors, understands his role as a community leader, and he takes it personally.

While O’Leary deals with the breadth of Cox businesses – ranging from media outlets to car auctions – he’s chosen to focus his civic energy on two charitable organizations in Atlanta, championing causes that have deeply affected him and convincing hundreds of his employees to volunteer to do the same.

O’Leary has most recently been working with Autism Speaks, a 3-year-old organization committed to funding research and creating awareness of the spectrum of autism disorders. Bob Wright, vice chairman for General Electric, and his wife, Suzanne, founded the group after learning their grandson was diagnosed with the disability.

“What got me engaged is the Wrights’ oldest grandchild … and how dramatically he changed and seemed to lose his personality and his ability to relate to people in a very short amount of time,” he says. “We had met this boy when he was younger, but just around two years of age, autism seemed to consume his body, and Suzanne Wright basically said they lost him. “That got our attention because we have four grandchildren,” he says. “All of a sudden you’re raising your children and living in fear of getting through this critical age of two. It seems that autism rears its ugly head around that age two category.”

His concern shows as O’Leary rattles off the facts on autism. “According to the CDC, it affects one in 150 children, but it’s only one in 94 boys, so it’s more boys-centric than girls-centric, and they do not know why,” he says. “These statistics I find alarming. And it’s a cause that more and more people are getting engaged in and concerned about, and that’s been something that I’ve got involved with [Cox]. As this Autism Speaks organization gets the word out, they are developing a lot more support, not only in raising money, but helping to influence government policy and getting the National Institutes of Health to fund this [research].”

This month, O’Leary is again captaining the Cox team in the Georgia Walk for Autism. He’s proud of his team’s accomplishments last year, which was the first time it participated in the walk. “We had 126 walkers, the largest team at the event,” he says, noting that the team raised almost $48,000, more than quadrupling its initial goal of $10,000. In 2007, 53 walks were held, raising more than $12 million. “Bob is a dynamic leader who has a keen ability to inspire the many generations that he works with,” says Catie Currey, regional director for the GWA. “Through his dedication for the GWA, Bob has engaged the corporate community into the world of autism … and he realizes the intensity of this disorder.”

O’Leary’s 12 years of extensive work with the Georgia chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society predate his involvement with autism. He’s been an active participant on the board and has leveraged his role to make Cox the title sponsor of one of the chapter’s largest fundraisers, a bicycling event called the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride. Last year, 127 volunteers rode for the Cox team, a Georgia chapter record for one company.

“The generous time, talent and treasures he brings to our organization are immeasurable,” says Roy Rangel, president of the Georgia MS chapter. “It’s not often that one finds a person so dedicated and committed to promoting success in their own career and still makes time to be so concerned with the welfare and well-being of others that they engage their talent and resources to making a difference.”

For O’Leary, the motivation for advancing MS research again comes from close to home. His mother suffered from the affliction. “I wanted to do something in the arena that I had
growing up, where I saw my mother deteriorate with MS, and that was the draw there,” he says. “I had a personal feeling about it, knowing they couldn’t do anything about her situation, and they didn’t, and they didn’t know what to do. Today, they are doing a lot better and making great progress. They don’t know the cause, but they’re still making great progress.” What drives O’Leary to instill civic responsibility in the community and in his company? “I guess there’s a certain amount of social conscience,” he says. “I’ve moved nine times. When you have a family and you go from community to community, you know what it takes to connect in the community, get your children adjusted. As a result, you appreciate the kind of entities it takes to connect in the community. And you get a sense to give back.”

O’Leary says there’s an understandable element of business to his civic responsibilities, and he believes it’s important for business leaders also to be known as civic leaders in the community. “[It’s] a key element in running any of our businesses,” O’Leary says. “That’s what doing business locally is about. You have to participate.”

He adds, “You reach a point where you can take the time, apply the time and add some fundraising help. You feel you can bring the organization further along and perhaps help the cause.”