Dr. Lorraine O'Donnell
Director of Project Éxito, Director for Grants and External Funding
Dr. O’Donnell serves as Director for Grants and External Funding, as well as Project Director for the Title III STEM Grant for DACC, New Mexico State University.
Dr. O’Donnell comes to us from our sister city, El Paso, where she served as UTEP’s Executive Director for the Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) Division and taught in the graduate school’s Principalship Preparation Program. Dr. O’Donnell is a former principal of a Texas Recognized High School in Clint, Texas, has served on the El Paso ISD Board of Trustees as Vice-President, and was in charge of the Leadership Academy in the EPISD, preparing future principals for their leadership roles in the district’s schools. Dr. O’Donnell served as Department Chair for the Education Department of the University of Phoenix in Okinawa, Japan, serving military personnel and their dependents. She is currently on the doctoral faculty of Capella University, and serves as a Doctoral Mentor.
Dr. O’Donnell earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UTEP, graduating with honors, and earned her doctorate in education from NMSU. She won commendation for her doctoral dissertation on the border principalship.
Dr. O’Donnell’s work now with the Title III Grant has placed a focus on providing professional development for faculty members who are dealing with the considerable challenges associated with students in a post-pandemic environment. A result of that focus is the creation of the STEM Institute of Teaching Excellence (SITE), which provides professional learning, equipment, and support for faculty who work with STEM students.