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ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has promoted Thomas O’Donnell to senior vice president of government affairs and public policy.
O’Donnell reports to NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson.
Thomas O’Donnell
O’Donnell has been with NACDS since mid-2012, when he was hired for the position of vice president for federal government affairs. He served in that capacity until his promotion earlier this month.
O’Donnell succeeds Carol Kelly, who served NACDS as senior vice president of government affairs and public policy since January 2008. In announcing O’Donnell’s promotion, NACDS thanked Kelly for her leadership and years of service dedicated to the association and to the industry.
O’Donnell came to NACDS from Capitol Hill, where he spent nearly three decades working for individual members of Congress as a committee staffer and as a government affairs professional.
He served as chief of staff to three Democratic congressmen: Rep. Steve Rothman of New Jersey, Rep. Phil Hare of Illinois and Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey. O’Donnell worked on the legislative teams of Rep. Lane Evans (D., Ill.) and Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D., Colo.), and from 1997 to through 2002 held a staff position on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
O’Donnell’s experience as an advocate includes a nearly five-year stint as director of congressional affairs for Continental Consulting Group Corp., where he focused on veterans’ affairs, national security and homeland security issues.
“Tom has succeeded in applying his exceptional knowledge of government and politics to the member-centric and patient-centric approach that defines NACDS,” Anderson commented in a statement. “He has proven himself to be a highly trusted and effective advocate on important issues that relate directly to NACDS members’ success in serving as the face of neighborhood health care across the nation. We look forward to his leadership of the exceedingly talented NACDS government affairs and public policy team, to his collaboration as a member of NACDS’ senior staff and to his continuing and keen focus on serving the NACDS membership.”
NACDS noted that O’Donnell has contributed leadership for its federal government affairs programs, providing advocacy on Capitol Hill, via the NACDS RxImpact Day grassroots program and through the NACDS Political Action Committee (NACDS-PAC).
In his new role, O’Donnell will add responsibility for executive branch advocacy, public policy analysis and state government affairs. The mission of NACDS is to advance the interests and objectives of the chain community pharmacy industry.
