Michael A. O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956, in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...

) is an American writer and researcher and co-principal investigator of the Adolescent Wellness Research Project, jointly with family strengths scholar Nick Stinnett. Their research on

adolescent Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...

wellness was

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in the book ''Good Kids'' (

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1995) and they were invited to speak on this study before the

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, in 1995.

Biography

O'Donnell received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

in 1986.

The International Family Life Institute

In the late 1980s, O'Donnell, then an Assistant Professor of Family Studies, Dean of Professional Studies at

Faulkner University Faulkner University is a private Christian university in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. History The university was founded in 1942 by Rex Turner, Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer as "Montgomery B ...

and a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE), and Stinnett co-founded The International Family Life Institute, Inc., Montgomery, AL. The Institute helped pioneer the first B.S.

degree completion program A degree completion program is an undergraduate academic program, most frequently found in the United States and Canada, that is offered within an established university but designed for non-traditional students. Degree completion programs are typic ...

in Family Life Education on the campus of

Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a private Free Methodist university in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Developing from an earlier academy and junior college, in 1963 it began offering bachelor's degrees. Attaining university status in 1994, it is t ...

, Mich., leading to certification for professionals as Certified Family Life Educators (CFLE) through the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The Institute was a

for-profit Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

enterprise offering assistance in curriculum development, prevention-through-education seminars, and research and writing projects in the area of

family and consumer science Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

and practice.

Southwest Center for Fathering

In the early 1990s, O'Donnell was also an associate

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of family studies and the founding executive director of the Southwest Center for Fathering on the campus of

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Christian research university in Abilene, Texas, United States. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 (High Research Spending and Doctorate Production) institutio ...

. The Center was the first university-based center for fathering in the United States. O'Donnell was interviewed for his work in the area of fathering in ''

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''. O'Donnell trained over 400 certified fathering small group leaders in the U.S. and overseas. Also, the Center for Fathers and Families in

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, Calif., was formed after attendees returned from a seminar held by O'Donnell at Abilene Christian University.

Author

In 1995, O'Donnell, a Professor of Family Studies and Department Chair of

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Behavioral Sciences Behavioural science is the branch of science concerned with human behaviour.Hallsworth, M. (2023). A manifesto for applying behavioural science. ''Nature Human Behaviour'', ''7''(3), 310-322. While the term can technically be applied to the st ...

with Rochester Christian University had authored or co-authored seven books, including: ''Home from Oz'' ( Thomas Nelson & Word 1994), ''A Question of Honor'' (

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Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins, Ha ...

1995), and ''How A Man Prepares His Sons for Life'' (

Baker Publishing Group Baker Publishing Group is a Christian book publisher that discusses historic Christian happenings for its evangelical readers. It is based in Ada, Michigan and has six subdivisions: Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books, Baker Academic, Chosen, and ...

Bethany House Bethany House Publishers is a publisher that publishes Christian fiction and non-fiction books. Bethany House Publishers was bought in 2003 by Baker Publishing Group. Bethany House publishes both historical and contemporary fiction. Historical ...

1995). These books have been the focus of numerous radio, TV and print features such as in ''

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'', ''Better Homes and Gardens'' and '' Jet'' magazines;

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Business Network,

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and the

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nationally syndicated radio program

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Personal life

He is the

identical twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

of award-winning

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

Richard O'Donnell. He is married and has three children (one deceased) and three grandchildren.

Academic and popular books

*''The Oz Syndrome: Coming Home to Find Contentment in the Sacredness of the Family'', Faith Happenings Publishers, Denver, Colorado, 2020. *''What A Son Needs from His Dad'',

, Minneapolis, Minn., 2018. *''什么是儿子从他的父亲需要", Anhui Publishing House, China, 2015.'' *''وهات أ أ سن ندس فروم حيث'', Dar El Thaqafa Communications House, Arabia, 2014. *''What A Son Needs from His Dad'', Baker Publishing Group, Minneapolis, Minn., 2011. *''你和你的孩子们可以成功驾驭十几岁的年龄'' (w/ N. Stinnett), Centre for Fathering, Ltd, Singapore, 2001. *''The Oz Syndrome'', Hillcrest Publishers, Abilene, Texas, 2001. *''어떻게 사람이 인생에 대한 그의 아들을 준비'', Compass House Publishers, Seoul, Korea, 1997. *''A Question of Honor'' (w/ J. Gantar and T. Patten),

, New York, NY, 1996. *''Good Kids: How You and Your Kids Can Successfully Navigate the Teen Years'' (w/ N. Stinnett),

, New York, NY, 1996. *''How A Man Prepares His Sons for Life'',

, Minneapolis, MN, 1996. *''Heart of the Warrior: A Battle Plan for Christian Men'', College Press Publishers, Joplin, Mo., 1996. *O’Donnell M.A., et al. ''Initiatives for Families: Research, Policy, Practice, and Education.'' Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations, 1995. *''Home From Oz: Finding Contentment In Your Family'', Thomas Nelson/Word, Dallas, Texas, 1994; Novo Ink, E-Book, 2011. *''Heart of the Warrior: A Battle Plan for Fathers to Reclaim Their Families'' (with Michelle Morris),

Abilene Christian University Press Abilene Christian University Press, also known as ACU Press, is an Abilene, Texas-based university press that is connected with Abilene Christian University. Since being formed it has released or acquired 456 titles and the press releases, on ave ...

, Abilene, Texas, 1993. *''Human Life Cycle I: Instructor's Manual'',

, Spring Arbor, MI, 1991. *''Human Life Cycle II: Instructor's Manual'', Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, 1991. *''The Professional Family Life Educator: Instructor's Manual'', Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, 1991. *''Grief Management I: Instructor's Manual'', Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, 1990. *''Grief Management II: Instructor's Manual'', Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, 1990. *''Parenting and Family Skills: Instructor's Manual'', Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, 1989. *''Family Theory: Instructor's Manual'', Editor, Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, 1989.

Awards and honors

Some honors and awards include: In 1992, then-Governor President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

appointed Michael O'Donnell as an "Arkansas Traveler"; he also has had induction into

Kappa Omicron Nu Kappa Omicron Nu () is a college honor society, based in the United States, for students in human sciences. Kappa Omicron Nu chapters are located at colleges and universities that offer a strong human sciences program. Its mission is to promote e ...

Family and Consumer Sciences Honor Society (1991); inducted into

Psi Chi Psi Chi () is a college student honor society in psychology with international outreach founded in 1929 at the University of Kansas in the United States. Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States, with more than 1,100 chap ...

Psychology Honor Society (1997); selected as the Coons-Farrar Lecturer for

Harding University Harding University is a Private university, private Christian university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas, United States. Established in 1924, the institution offers Undergraduate education, undergraduate, Postgraduate education, gradu ...

(1992); selected as the President B. Garrison Lecturer for

Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, Henderson has an undergraduate enrollment of around 2,500 students. The campus is located on . H ...

(1993); a Fine Arts Lecturer on Fathering and the Media for

Lander University Lander University is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national u ...

(1994); selected as the Dr. Bruce Everist Endowed Lecturer for

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...

. He was invited in 2002 by then-

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Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as the second prime minister of Singapore from 1990 to 2004 and as a senior minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2011. He served as the secretary-general of the Peo ...

to be the

keynote speaker A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

’s National Week of the Family. In 2012, he was selected as a

Catholic Press Association The Catholic Media Association, formerly the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, is an association of American and Canadian newspaper and media specialists specialized on reporting on the Catholic Church. Founded in 1911, it ...

Award-Winner for his monthly column, ''Family Matters'' in ''The Colorado Catholic Herald''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Michael A. 1956 births Living people Cincinnati Christian University alumni People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania American male writers Kansas State University alumni Abilene Christian University faculty Rochester Christian University faculty