Kelly O’Donnell

Kelly O’Donnell President WHCA

Kelly O’Donnell is Senior White House Correspondent for NBC News.  She contributes to all of the network’s platforms including “TODAY,” “Nightly News,” MSNBC and NBC News NOW.

O’Donnell’s award-winning reporting has taken her to all 50 states and to 58 countries. Her experience spans the Rose Garden to Baghdad, four Olympic Games, campaigns and Capitol Hill.

A veteran of presidential politics, O’Donnell has covered four administrations: Joe Biden,  Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush.  She has been on the trail for seven presidential cycles covering both parties.

Among her varied assignments: O’Donnell was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq.  She covered Britain’s Royal family and followed Pope John Paul II on international tours.  She followed major domestic events including the September 11^th attacks, Oklahoma City bombing and the OJ Simpson saga.

In 2019, O’Donnell was honored with the Radio Television Correspondents Association Career Achievement Award. Her work has earned the Emmy, National Headliner and Edward R. Murrow awards among her honors.

On the lighter side, O’Donnell appeared in “House of Cards,” competed on “Jeopardy!” and was spoofed in a skit on “Saturday Night Live.”

WHCA

We share the belief, held by our country’s Founders and enshrined in the First Amendment, that an independent news media is vital to the health of the republic.

The White House Correspondents’ Association exists to promote excellence in journalism as well as journalism education, and to ensure robust news coverage of the president and the presidency. We support awards for some of the best political reporting of the past year, and scholarships for young reporters who carry our hopes for vibrant journalism in the years to come. Each day, we work to ensure that the men and women who cover the White House have the ability to seek answers from powerful officials, up to and including the President.

Our association comprises hundreds of members from the worlds of print, television, radio and online journalism. Their work, for outlets based in the United States and overseas, reaches a global audience.

We also work to encourage new generations of White House correspondents through our college scholarship programs. About two dozen winners are selected each year from across the United States to visit Washington in order to be celebrated and encouraged.