Donna grew up on a farm in northwest Missouri. She later moved to Saint Joseph where she was employed by the American Angus Association from January 1958 until her retirement 43 years later in 2001. Donna started in the membership department and went on to the checking department where she eventually became supervisor. Donna spoke with breeders by phone or correspondence and worked closely with regional managers to process registration certificates needed for show purposes. She was later promoted to administrative assistant to the director of member services. She handled blood typing, parentage verification, breeder disputes, hiring of office employees, in addition to overseeing both the building and ground maintenance.

Working with Angus breeders made Donna’s employment very pleasant, and she still misses and thinks of all the breeders and colleagues she worked with over the years. She has now been retired for 17 years and spends her time with her husband, Don, of 61 years.