The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents, USA is grateful to Eileen O’Connor, a trailblazing journalist turned strategic leader, for sitting down with Storer Rowley on the Foreign Press Podcast.
As a former foreign correspondent for ABC and CNN, Eileen O’Connor blazed a trail beyond journalism to law, public affairs and advocacy on some of the most consequential issues of our era. She is currently Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications and Policy, at The Rockefeller Foundation.
From Journalism to world change
Eileen O’Connor, Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications and Policy, The Rockefeller Foundation
With a rich background in journalism, Eileen O’Conner brings her global experience as a former national and White House correspondent for ABC News and CNN, where she covered major political events and conflicts across the world, from the fall of communism to Russian organized crime. Eileen's award-winning career in journalism laid the foundation for her strategic advisory roles in communications, including crisis management and public diplomacy.
They discuss her transition from the front lines of reporting to shaping impactful global initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation. The conversation also ranged into brainstorming about how to champion truth, engagement and democracy in a world increasingly beset by misinformation, disinformation and isolationism.
Eileen O’Connor serves as strategic advisor to the president of The Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Rajiv Shah, on special projects, policy, positioning, advocacy, and content management. She partners in an interdisciplinary approach with the foundation’s top teams to create and execute strategies designed to achieve greater impact for programs, and she has worked on crucial programs ranging from the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) to programs aimed at mitigating climate change.
Storer Rowley is the vice president of The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA) and a recovering foreign correspondent who spent thirty years at the Chicago Tribune and covered stories in fifty countries.
The AFPC-USA champions global engagement and the protection of reporters at risk around the world. They are grateful to Ms. O’Connor and to The Rockefeller Foundation for their work as a partner with shared values on the importance of defending free expression, democratic values and press freedom around the world.