O’Donnell Named Director of Corporate Affiliates Program

The Jacobs School is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne R. O’Donnell as Director of the Corporate Affiliates Program (CAP). O’Donnell brings a wealth of experience in cultivating publicprivate partnerships. Most recently, she served as the Jacobs School Director of the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) where she was instrumental in starting up the program and its processes. A federally-funded partnership among San Diego industry and universities, CCAT awards grants for the commercialization of Homeland Security technologies, and provides marketing, business, and technical support. Prior to her service at CCAT, O’Donnell accumulated more than 15 years of experience in building technology solutions for the military and intelligence communities.

Asked about her plans for CAP’s future, O’Donnell says she will continue the many successful facets of the program and one of her first goals will be to broaden the base of technology industries involved in CAP. Another objective for O’Donnell is to proactively foster technology partnerships based on the research priorities of the faculty.

O’Donnell holds a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, and masters degrees in Public Policy and in Theology from Harvard University. She is a past Vice President of the San Diego Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association, and a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. A founding member of UCSD Athena, O’Donnell continues to serve on its Executive Advisory Board.

O’Donnell succeeds Kelly Briggs, who has served as the Corporate Affiliates Program (CAP) manager and director for 7 years. Briggs has been named Associate Director of Development at the Jacobs School.