As a little girl growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri Donna would spend time in the capitol where her mother worked. At this young age she inherently absorbed the fact that things can get done, change is possible, and policy makers are accessible. She has applied this throughout her life and found success in her passion to be an agent of change.

Currently Donna is the Director of Institutional Advancement for United 4 Children. The organization is the merging of CDCA (Child Day Care Association) and St. Louis for kids. A priority has been to brand this newly merged organization and to message why this is a positive paradigm shift. Being connected in many areas of St. Louis on many different levels enables her to use her skill of approaching individuals, business leaders, large corporations or government entities to secure support for the organization.

She is in her tenth year as the 16th ward alderman in the city of St. Louis. She received national recognition for her 2011 passage of “scrap metal” legislation which is now being implemented regionally. She also has successfully passed city wide legislation: in limiting minor’s access to graffiti tools, preventing pedophiles from running a child based business and put strict requirements for melting of metals on the gold buyers. She has brought economic development to her ward as well as successful initiatives to address speeding, upgrading properties, reducing crime, and sustainable initiatives.

Donna was the Director of Institutional Advancement for St. Cecilia’s where she was responsible for marketing, public relations, strategic planning and development for the church, school and academy. St. Cecilia is a predominantly Hispanic parish and she utilized her skills to brand them as the “go to” for anything Hispanic. She served on the education board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce where she still keeps contact with today.

Being a skilled multi-tasker, Donna was an adjunct professor of Communications as well as the Executive Director of the Magdalen Community Improvement Corporation. Here she was directly involved in all aspects of community betterment for the area. By obtaining federal appropriations, as well as state and local grants she was the leading catalyst in the upgrading of the commercial district. As a board member of the Southside Bosnians Services collaborative she assisted with the assimilation of the Bosnian immigrant population to the city of St. Louis.

Donna has been honored for her accomplishments. In 2010 she received the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri “Women of Distinction” award. Bike St. Louis/Trail Net honored her for her contribution to cycling in her community. She also received an award from Webster Groves/Shrewsbury Chamber of Commerce for her work on the metro link station development, Outstanding Leadership award from the South Kingshighway Business Association, leadership for students with disabilities from St. Louis community college and outstanding community volunteer St. Louis Public Schools.

Donna currently resides with her husband of 22 years in the St. Louis city neighborhood known as “St. Louis Hills” which is known as the home of Ted Drewes ice cream. Her first son serves in the U.S. Marine Corp and her second son will be attending Mizzou.