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Harrington School of Communication and Media

Advisory Board

Kathy O'Donnell

Kathy O'Donnell

SVP, Public Affairs, Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Providence, RI

Kathy O'Donnell is Senior Vice President/Director of Public Affairs for Citizens Financial Group, Inc. She joined Citizens in 1995 as a public relations manager. She was promoted to Vice President/Director of Public Relations in 2000 and was named Vice President/Director of the Rhode Island Public Affairs group in 2004. In 2005, she was promoted to Senior Vice President. She was promoted to her current role in 2009.

O'Donnell works with local public affairs teams throughout the company's 12-state retail footprint. She manages Citizens Bank's and Charter One's charitable contributions, philanthropic activities, community outreach, and marketing sponsorships. Additionally, she oversees legacy programs such as Gear for Grades and Champions in ActionŽ. O'Donnell serves as a key public affairs resource for Citizens' senior executives. She helps support the company's strategic plan through its community-based, local delivery model by ensuring that Citizens is actively engaged in the communities where it conducts business.

O'Donnell is a board member of Day One. She chaired the development committee of Children's Friend & Service in Providence, where she was also an agency board member from 2002 to 2009. She was a board member of RI's Make-A-Wish Foundation affiliate from 1996 to 1998. O'Donnell is a graduate of the 2004 Omega Class of Leadership Rhode Island and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, where she earned a bachelor's degree with a double major in Journalism and Communications Studies and a minor in Psychology. She is a member of the Advisory Board for URI's Harrington School of Communication and Media, and serves on the University's Alumni Association Board. In 2006, O'Donnell was named to Providence Business News' "40 Under Forty" list.

She and her husband, Bill White, live in South Kingstown, Rhode Island with their children Charlie and Molly.