Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

Mary Fant Donnan’s work history is one steeped in public service that prepares her for leadership as Commissioner of Labor.  She has recent, relevant experience in the Department, where she served as Policy Analyst and Director of Policy and Research from 1994-2001.  She helped launch the NC Individual Development Account (IDA) and Asset-Building Collaborative and oversaw creation of the General Assembly’s IDA program to help low-income working families buy their first homes, increase their education, and build small businesses.  She helped support several interagency efforts, including the School to Work Initiative, the NC Alliance for Competitive Technologies, the Governor’s Workforce Preparedness Commission, and the NC Economic Development Board.  She also oversaw the federal survey of occupational injuries and illnesses. 

For the past seven years, Donnan has worked as a program officer with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, where she is the primary point of contact for the Foundation’s community economic development grantmaking.  

Donnan has a proven fundraising history from her work as director of development for the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research (1989-1994), where she was responsible for raising an annual budget of $400,000.  She entered the workforce in 1988 as a public school music teacher, teaching over 800 students weekly in seven rural elementary and high schools. 

Donnan grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and received her B.A. degree from Davidson College.  She received a Master of Environmental Studies from the University of Adelaide, South Australia.

Mary Fant Donnan’s many honors include:
Recipient of the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship
Wildacres Leadership Initiative Friday Fellow
German Marshall Fund American Marshall Memorial Fellow
Business and Professional Women’s Young Careerist
Leadership Triangle Graduate

Community Service includes:
North Carolina Community Development Initiative Board of Directors
Partners for Homeownership Board of Directors
Winston-Salem Community Development Funders’ Collaborative Member

As a Democratic candidate for the office of N.C. Commissioner of Labor, I seek to be a leader in three primary ways:  (1) setting the highest-quality standards for carrying forward the duties and responsibilities of the office (workplace safety, workplace standards, and workforce development); (2) serving as a spokesperson for issues related to the department and developing and implementing good public policy; and (3) providing energetic leadership to bring workplace issues into the broader efforts of state government (such as economic development efforts). 

As a candidate, I bring a fresh perspective to the office while also being grounded in the work of the department.  In the seven years since I worked at the department, I have lived in Winston-Salem and worked for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation – work that has taken me to much of the state, listening to the ideas and needs many non-profit and government leaders identify in their communities.  I recognize that the restructuring of our economy presents challenges without simple solutions.  At the same time, I am optimistic that the many good ideas being developed at a local level can receive support through state policies and investments that make North Carolina an even better place to live. 

As an individual, my heart is guided by principles of fairness and justice.  My leadership style is one of listening to others and building partnerships to work towards a better future.