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Ardán Family of Companies, the parent company of Westcor Land Title Insurance Company, has announced the sudden passing of its longtime president and CEO Mary O’Donnell.
According to the release, O’Donnell passed away earlier this week after a brief illness. O’Donnell had served as the president and CEO of Westcor since 2004.
“Mary spent her career in title insurance and built a reputation as an innovator, leader, and genuine trailblazer in the industry,” a press release from Ardán stated. “She was passionate about business building, which was exemplified by her success in growing a small regional title business into a national corporation that brought together cutting-edge technology, data analytics, and sound underwriting to help millions of people fulfill their dreams of homeownership.”
O’Donnell’s career in the title insurance industry saw her serve as the president of the American Land Title Association from 2019 to 2020. During her tenure, she created the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation, which provides charitable grants to local organizations.
“Mary was more than her career,” the release stated. “She was a warm and dynamic woman who lit up every room she entered. She never met a stranger, and everyone she met professionally became her friend. She thought of her colleagues as family and treated them that way.”
O’Donnell was a 2021 HousingWire Women of Influence award winner.
Ardán has appointed Terry Wright as its interim CEO. The company said it is working on creating a permanent leadership plan. Wright founded Westcor with O’Donnell in 1993.
O’Donnell is survived by husband, Kevin, her stepdaughter, Lauren McNichol, and her husband, Don, their son, Kilian, as well as Mary’s siblings John Harding, Annie Keane, and Patt Hives.
