ABOUT DONNA

Donna Howard’s life and career underscore the major challenges confronting Texas and the special set of skills needed to help her hometown meet those challenges.

A seasoned professional with years of hands-on experience in the areas of public health and public education, Howard is uniquely qualified to guide us toward a future of progress and prosperity based on healthy children learning in safe classrooms from well-paid, qualified teachers.

In her successful special election campaign of early 2006, Howard focused on her vision for a new kind of leadership.

“What we need is what we do not have under our current leadership – a united effort that crosses party lines and ideologies and demands responsible support for public schools from all sectors of our community,” Howard says. “If we get that right, everything else will follow. If we keep getting it wrong, pretty soon not much else will matter.”

Howard was born and raised in Austin and has spent her adult life working to help strengthen her community. After graduating from Reagan High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing (1974) and a master’s in health education (1977), both from the University of Texas.

She has worked as a critical care nurse at Brackenridge and Seton hospitals, served as the first hospital-based Patient Education Coordinator in Austin history, and helped get the Seton Good Health School off the ground. She has also been president of the Texas Nurses’ Association (District 5) and a Health Education instructor at UT.

A recognized expert on public education, Howard was an elected member of the Eanes ISD board in West Austin from 1996 to 1999. She was a co-founder of Advocates for Eanes Schools, a parent organization, and helped start the Texas Education Crisis Coalition, a grassroots group of parents and community leaders.

Certified as a Master School Trustee by the Texas Association of School Boards, Howard was a candidate for the State Board of Education in 2000 and 2002. She has served on the boards of the Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, Common Cause, and the Texas Freedom Network and is currently a board member of the Expanding Horizons Foundation, supporting low-income housing.

Rep. Howard served on the Higher Education, Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, and House Administration Committees during the 80th Legislative Session. She also co-founded the Air Quality Caucus; a bipartisan group of more than forty legislators that worked to bring together House members and state and local officials in an effort to begin a dialogue about how Texas can utilize the cleanest possible energy for the healthiest possible air.

Since the end of session, Rep. Howard has received recognition for her work on health care, the environment, and historic preservation from several organizations including The Austin Business Journal, the Texas Hospital Association, the Sierra Club, and the Heritage Society of Austin.

Married to Austin attorney Derek Howard, the couple has three children, all educated in Austin public schools. Howard and her family are active in their neighborhood and in their church, where she has served on the board.

A note about Donna from Cheryl Fries…

“A Conversation With Donna Howard”…