Kelly O'Donnell

Distinguished Alumnae Award Recipient, 2014

Kelly O’Donnell is an American Journalist and anchor, Chief Justice and National Affairs Correspondent
for NBC News covering the Justice Department.
She appears on NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, MSNBC, and Meet the Press.

O’Donnell served as Whitehouse correspondent for NBC  News during the 2nd term of G. W. Bush. Following the 2008 presidential campaign season she became Capitol Hill correspondent. During the Iraq war she was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division, stationed in Baghdad and Qatar.

In 1987 O’Donnell graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree, focusing on a combined course of study in journalism and public policy.

She has received many honors, including Emmy Awards, a national Headline Award, a New Hampshire Primary Award for political reporting and  Los Angeles Press Club Awards. In 2021 she was elected president of the White House Correspondents Association for 2023-2024.

She has reported a wide variety of events, including the September 11 attacks, the space shuttle Columbia disaster, the Oklahoma City bombing, the O. J. Simpson trial, and the travels and death of Pope John Paul 11.  She also covered both summer and winter Olympic games.