Donna has been at JMU since 2007 and has served in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, Honors, University Advising and the Hart School. She earned a BS, MA, and Ed.S from James Madison University. After a one-year hiatus from higher education, serving as a Psychiatric Emergency Service Clinician in the Emergency Department at Sentara RMH, she returned to JMU to work directly with students in the role of Professional Academic Advisor in the Hart School.

Donna is an alumnus the Adult Degree Program and has a passion for lifelong learning. Her mantra is, “Learn something new every day”. She enjoys educating others of the importance of caring for mental health and overall well-being, as well as considering the difference between tolerance and acceptance. Her research interests are in areas of legacy and vicarious trauma, crisis intervention and management, and post covid changes in higher education.

In her free time Donna enjoys reading, traveling, knitting, and spending time with her amazing family and rescue pug, Bella Lavinia.