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Kevin Donnellan

Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff

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As Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Kevin Donnellan provides the link between the CEO and AARP’s Executive and Leadership Teams, working to enhance organizational development, build constructive internal and external partnerships, oversee the implementation of AARP’s enterprise strategy, solve management problems, and deal with sensitive issues before they are brought to the Chief Executive.  As Chief of Staff, Kevin also provides leadership and management for all internal communications, executive positioning and public outreach functions of the enterprise.  He serves as a key liaison with AARP’s Board of Directors, as well as the Boards of AARP Services, Inc., and AARP Foundation.

During his over 30 years at AARP, Mr. Donnellan has led many of the organization’s most visible and impactful programs.  He provided consistent leadership and growth to AARP’s legislative, advocacy, training and communications programs.  Under his leadership, he rebuilt AARP’s Communications group into a 21st century, state of the art, proactive communications and media conglomerate.  He is recognized broadly for his understanding of the interplay and nuance of business, politics and social change.

AARP is often cited as one of the most effective advocacy and grassroots lobbying organizations in Washington.  The organizations’ success is based on years of slowly and methodically building its base resulting in a true grassroots presence in every congressional district in all 50 states and territories.  Donnellan literally wrote the training manual (Grassroots: The Gold Standard) and was recognized by the Public Affairs Council with the top Grassroots Innovation Award.  For three consecutive years he was named to the Influence 100 – the world’s most influential communicators – by the prestigious Holmes Report.

Before AARP, Donnellan was Executive/Legislative Assistant to US Representative Geraldine A. Ferraro.  He was progressively responsible for the administration and management of the Congressional office, including the direct supervision of the Congressional staff, and the scheduling and advance work for a European fact-finding tour for the former Vice Presidential candidate.

Kevin currently serves on the Boards of the Legal Counsel for the Elderly, the National Building Museum, and as Chairman of the Ideagen Impact and Thought Leader Council.  He is a member of the respected Arthur W. Page Society, former chair of the board of directors of the Long-Term Care Campaign, and was AARP’s representative on the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations.

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To set up an interview with Kevin Donnellan, please email media@aarp.org

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