Love Learn Lead

Just as in the title of this memoir, learning has always been at the center of Donna Durno's life. From a child who loved school, she went on to a career in education that spanned fifty years and took her to the highest levels of educational leadership. Not one to simply follow the path in front of her, she left a job as a Commissioner of Basic Education in Pennsylvania to chart her own course, spending one year driving around the country to visit forty-six schools in nineteen states to learn firsthand the challenges and successes of teachers and students. She used that experience to inform the second half of her illustrious career.

Donna's life isn't just about school learning, however, It's about spiritual education, as well. Donna embarked on her first journey in pursuit of knowledge when, as a child, she walked to a local church by herself one Sunday. She attended on her own for years until her family became curious and decided to join her. In adulthood, she discovered a new side of faith when she began taking courses at Berkley Psychic Institute and became a licensed minister in California.

Donna learned to love and lead during an era of ever-evolving roles for women. She is not just a person who lived through those changes, but a pioneer, Her story of living an authentic and empowered life is a lesson for us all about what is possible in our own lives if we never stop placing learning at the center.

In Love, Learn, Lead, Donna reflects upon three key elements that intersected to create an inspiring and unique life.