NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent
Kelly O'Donnell is the Capitol Hill Correspondent for NBC News. She contributes to NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, TODAY, and MSNBC, and appears as a panelist on Meet the Press and The Chris Matthews Show. She has anchored NBC News broadcasts and produced long form pieces for Dateline. A veteran of presidential politics, O'Donnell covered the Inauguration of President Barack Obama and the 2008 presidential campaign traveling with John McCain and Sarah Palin. She served as White House Correspondent during the second term of President George W. Bush. From the Rose Garden to Baghdad, the Olympic Games to Capitol Hill, the scope of O'Donnell's assignments is uncommon, and her reports have taken her to all 50 states and 48 countries. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Kelly O'Donnell speaks with insight and ease about life spent in the trenches, in the courtroom, and in the political "war room." Not only is she in the public eye, she is the public's eye.
Meeting the Press. O'Donnell's political reporting background began in 1996 on the Dole campaign. In Iowa, she reported on the field of Democratic challengers, then on the campaign trail during Senator John Kerry's bid for the White House, through Election Day. In 2004 she also reported from the Democratic Convention in Boston, the Presidential Debates, during NBC News' Decision 2004 election night coverage, and President Bush's second inauguration. On other political fronts, she was on hand for the 2003 gubernatorial recall in California and the 2000 Florida recount. Among her other varied experiences: the September 11th attacks, Queen Elizabeth's 50th Jubilee, the CIA leak trial, the Oklahoma City bombing, four Olympic Games and four presidential elections.An award-winning reporter, O'Donnell's work on the 2008 presidential election earned an Emmy and National Headliner Award. She received the 2009 New Hampshire Primary Award for political reporting and was inducted into the Ohio Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame in September 2004. O'Donnell also received two first place awards from the Los Angeles Press Club for her feature reporting, and was part of the Nightly News team honored with multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Beyond Borders. In addition to giving accounts on the war in Iraq from both Baghdad and U.S. Central Command headquarters in Qatar, she was embedded with the Third Infantry Division during operations in Fallujah and reported exclusively from the skies above Iraq on a classified combat mission during the air assault on Baghdad. O'Donnell also recounted the first meeting to form a new Iraqi government from the ancient city of Ur. She has reported on U.S. troops serving in the Middle East from aboard three aircraft carriers.
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The American Presidency. If the most difficult position in the world is being the American President, then not far behind is the role of covering the president's every move. Kelly O'Donnell began following the trail of the president in 1996, when she covered the Dole campaign. Since then, she has reported on candidates on both sides of the political coin racing to the White House. Her experiences on the road with candidates and elected presidents, including posing questions that cut to the heart of policies and the interests of the American people, have earned her the respect of her peers, as well as the commander in chief. In her presentation, O'Donnell talks with openness and grace about what lies ahead for President Obama as well as about her own experiences as a journalist writing about the leader of the free world.
Meeting the press: connecting both sides of the TV screen. The role of a reporter is no longer to simply tell the stories of the day, but to ensure viewers can fully understand and relate to them. Kelly O'Donnell speaks about forging a bond between events and viewers. Her occupation has taken her into the depths of war-torn countries and into our living rooms. She discusses her job has enabled her to cut away the degrees of separation between ever living person in the world. Her task is not simply covering events both historic and tragic, but making them relatable to the television audience. She explains how this is the news media's ultimate responsibility and gift.
A woman roving through a male-dominated field. The glass ceiling has officially shattered in popular news media, and Kelly O'Donnell has contributed to the push. She skyrocketed to great success, having served as a top reporter for NBC News and winning shelves of awards for her accomplishments. But the life of a journalist has been decidedly paved by men until very recently. O'Donnell illustrates her own journey, and the significance of climbing the ranks-from decorated local reporter to NBC Nightly News and Today correspondent-to become a key member of the press corps who interviews the president and covers the most influential events before a world audience.
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