Awards

Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Distinguished Alumni Award - 2018

About Kathleen Odne

Kathleen Odne earned her B.S. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and earned her M.A. in Philanthropic Studies in 2002. While completing her studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, she also received a certificate in nonprofit management from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs (then known as SPEA).

With a background in teaching and business, Kathleen most recently was the executive director of the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation, an organization focused on raising the quality of life for the residents of Contra Costa County. She began as a volunteer where she met Margaret who later asked Odne for help running the foundation. Under her leadership, the foundation grew from $16 million to $90 million and making $5 million worth of grants annually to nonprofits in Contra Costa County. Odne retired in 2017, but when asked to join the foundation’s board of directors, she agreed.

For her longstanding service to the philanthropic community, Odne was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the school’s Alumni Board.