Kerry O'Donnell

Kerry O’Donnell is Vice President of People and Culture for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Together with the People and Culture team, she oversees the areas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Human Resources; Employee Safety; Employee Communications and Engagement; and Learning and Development. Under the broad goal of supporting a progressive culture of collaboration, opportunity and belonging, Kerry serves as a key leader in developing and implementing people and culture engagement strategies for the employees of the Parks Conservancy.

Kerry began her career as an employment and labor attorney, advising non-profit organizations and public agencies on their most complex employee challenges. As a person who deeply values building strong, collaborative relationships with colleagues, she took the opportunity to leave the practice of law and serve in a role leading human resources and labor relations at a national, environmental non-profit.

Throughout her career, including most recently during her tenure with the Sierra Club, she has championed service-oriented human resources and people functions grounded in empathy and courage. Kerry’s leadership is centered in a commitment to the values of the Parks Conservancy – especially the values of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the internal operations of the organization.

Originally from a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kerry now lives in San Francisco with her husband and beloved cat. She earned her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a degree in business administration from Bucknell University. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2007, the Golden Gate National Parks have provided a continuing source of joy and connection with nature. Kerry loves spending time with friends and family, music (specifically, creating the perfect playlist for every occasion), practicing yoga, sports (specifically, cheering on the Golden State Warriors), traveling, and exploring all of the incredible gifts that the San Francisco Bay Area has to offer.