Irene O'Donnell – Most Influential Women 2010

A native of Glenties, Irene O’Donnell, has been featured by the Irish Voice as one of the “Most Influential Women 2010”. The feature can be read below or the full version of the Irish Voice can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/b9Dy5F

IRENE Mary O’Donnell is the director of campus offices services and records management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY in New York. John Jay is a liberal arts college dedicated to education, research and service in the fields of criminal justice, fire science and related areas of public safety and public service.

A native of Glenties, Co. Donegal,  O’Donnell earned a bachelor’s in forensic psychology from John Jay, and a master’s from Baruch/Cornell University. O’Donnell is active in Irish American causes. Since 1996 she’s been a member of the Jerry McCabe Fellowship Breakfast Committee at John Jay which is primarily a fundraiser for the exchange of members of the NYPD and the Irish police force to research public safety initiatives by each agency. This has proven to be a huge success with two Irish officers acquiring master’s degrees from John Jay annually.

She is also a former chairperson of the Irish Center in Woodside, and a member of the Donegal Association for many years.

O’Donnell travels to Ireland twice a year. “After 31 years in the U.S., Glenties is still home! I’ve lived here longer than I have in Ireland, and Ireland is still home,” she says. “I love when people detect my Irish accent, which I still have, and when they ask me where I am from. Ireland is in my blood and that never changes.

“I would not change being a citizen of Ireland ever, and chances are that I will eventually retire there!”