Cynthia Fussell O’Donnell was born and raised in the panhandle of Florida. She graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in Music. Coming from a long line of military veterans, she joined the U.S. Navy and attended Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida in February 2001. While in the Navy, she served onboard USS Mahan (DDG-72) as the Strike Warfare Office and USS Hue City (CG-66) as the Damage Control Assistant making two deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

In 2008, she graduated from the University of Florida College of Law and practiced law in the field of bankruptcy and business litigation at Case, Lombardi and Pettit. Cynthia started her own firm in order to focus on serving consumers. She is passionate about educating consumers on their rights and how they can protect themselves from predatory practices by financial institutions.

In addition to being a fierce advocate for consumers, Cynthia also serves as the president of ACLU Central Florida.