Mary Fant Donnan

Biography

Mary Fant Donnan was the Democratic nominee for state labor commissioner in 2008.

Early Life and Education

She was born in Union, S.C., and grew up on a cattle farm in Grayson County, Virginia. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a physician.

She graduated from Davidson College in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in music and pre-med.

She then studied on a Rotary International Fellowship in Australia, earning a master's degree in 1988 in environmental studies from the University of Adelaide in South Australia.

Professional Career

From 1988 to 1989, she was a public school music teacher in Virginia.

From 1989 to 1994, she worked as development director for the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research.

From 1994 to 2001, she worked as director of research and policy at the state Department of Labor under then-Commissioner Harry Payne.

Since May of 2001, she has worked as a program officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, working on community economic development.

In 2003, she was awarded a Marshall Memorial Fellowship by the German Marshall Fund for three weeks of intensive study in Europe. In 2005, she was honored by the Wildacres Leadership Initiative in Durham.

Labor Commissioner 2008

On Feb. 26, 2008, she filed to run for state Commissioner of Labor against incumbent Republican Cherie Berry.

She faced Ty Richardson, Robin Anderson and former labor commissioner John C. Brooks in the Democratic primary. After coming in first by a narrow margin in the May 6 primary, she faced Brooks in a runoff.

She ran on a platform of strengthening employment law enforcement, making the department more consumer-friendly and improving the collection and use of data on worker injuries.

She also said she would break up the "cozy relationship" between the department and businesses it regulates and work collaboratively with other state agencies.

Backed by two of the state's largest unions, Donnan said she is open to the idea of giving state workers collective bargaining rights.

She was endorsed by Richardson, Anderson, the state chapter of the AFL-CIO, former labor commissioner Harry Payne, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, the Durham People's Alliance and the N.C. Association of Educators.

She defeated Brooks by two-to-one in a runoff election with record-low turnout, but lost to Berry in November.

Research and reporting by Ryan Teague Beckwith.

Occupation

Donnan serves on the board of the Leadership Triangle and the board of the N.C. Community Development Initiative in Raleigh. She also serves on the board of the Partners for Homeownership in Winston Salem and is active Highland Presbyterian church in Winston Salem.

She is a former chair of Citizens Advisory Council of the Mordecai Neighborhood and a former member of First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh.

Contact Info

Email: mary@maryfantdonnan.com

Education

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