My name's Kelly O'Donnell, and I'm with NBC News.
Could you tell us about your charity?
I'm playing for the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation based in Northern Virginia.
What impact would $50,000 have on your charity?
I really thought that by trying to give to a charity that I care about right here in our D.C. area, it would have a lot of impact. And, so, instead a national pet charity, I want it to go to someone down the street. I've seen their work, they do a great job, and I hope the show will bring them lots of attention.
Does your experience as a reporter give you an advantage?
Well, being a reporter makes you a generalist. Maybe that will come in handy today, or maybe it'll be that I won't get past the $200 clues. We'll see.
Do you have a dream category?
GEOGRAPHY is a bit of a dreaded category, especially up against Tom Friedman who's been everywhere in the world, and I suppose '90s BOY BANDS would be a dream category for me. |
"An Emmy-winning political reporter, she has covered Capitol Hill and the White House for NBC News, appearing on Today, Nightly News, and Meet the Press. Here's..."
2012 Power Players Week player (2012-05-18).
Playing for the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation.
Kelly O'Donnell is the Capitol Hill Correspondent for NBC News. She contributes to NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, and MSNBC. She 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.
From the Rose Garden to Baghdad, the Olympic Games to Capitol Hill, the scope of her assignments is uncommon. Her reporting has taken her to all 50 states and to 48 countries. A veteran of presidential politics, O'Donnell has been on the campaign trail following the GOP field in 2012. She 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.
O'Donnell has covered numerous international stories. In Iraq, she was embedded with the Third Infantry Division during operations in Fallujah in 2003.
Among her varied experiences: the September 11th attacks, Queen Elizabeth's 50th Jubilee, the CIA leak trial, the travels of Pope John Paul II, the Oklahoma City bombing and four Olympic Games.
Among many honors, 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. O'Donnell was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Ohio Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004. She was recognized with the Northwestern University Alumni Merit Award in 2010. |
