Breakfast Speakers

Each month at the WBE Breakfast we have an inspirational speaker. Thank you to all of our speakers!  Our speaker for December 2007 was:

Donna Zajonc

The Politics of Hope: Transcending Polarization

Donna Zajonc is a non-partisan political leadership coach, seminar leader, keynote speaker, and author of The Politics of Hope: Reviving the Dream of Democracy (published in October, 2004, by Synergy Books).

Highlights from her life experience include:

• Three-term Oregon Legislator, Secretary of State nominee and Gubernatorial campaign manager
• Political organizer in the arena of non-partisan public leadership education and community building seminars
• Business owner, nurse, mental health advocate, one of American's Ten Outstanding Young Women
• Participant in international women-leaders initiatives in Islamic countries
• Active in local community, including school and recreation bond initiatives, arts fundraising drives, and private non-profit capital projects
• Co-founder of the Bainbridge Leadership Center and director of the center's Public Leadership domain
• Co-chair of the political leadership coaching Special Interest Group (SIG), within the International Coach Federation (ICF)
• Certified Professional Coach (CPC)
• Business owner of franchise food business with multiple locations and 75 employees
• Master's degree in community affairs and public policy from the University of Oregon
• Co-authoring Healing America's Polarization: Harnessing the Power of Our Cultural Divide, along with her partner, David Womeldorff

Donna states the purpose of her work is to "be a catalyst for a new era of political collaboration and transform our political system for the sake of generations to come." As a political leadership coach, Donna has brought nonpartisan awareness and clarity to a wide variety of candidates for public office and current elected officials. Her book, The Politics of Hope, provides ordinary citizens as well as public servants with a firm foundation for action in this time of global change.

At the age of 28, Donna was elected to serve three terms in the Oregon State House of Representatives and was her party's nominee for Secretary of State as well as campaign manager for an Oregon gubernatorial election and numerous other political campaigns. As an entrepreneur who owned and managed a chain of food franchises, she served as Chair of the National Franchise Advisory Board.

She was honored to co-lead a "Partners in Participation: Women's Campaign Initiative," in Tunis, Tunisia, July 19-22, 2004. Partners in Participation was formed under the auspices of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a Presidential initiative announced by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in December 2002 to support economic, political and educational development efforts in the Middle East. Over sixty Islamic women from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia attended the seminar.

Donna was Co-chair of the International Coach Federation Special Interest Group for Political Leadership Coaching and Co-founder of the Bainbridge Leadership Center in Bainbridge Island, Washington. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Arts in Public Affairs from the University of Oregon. She also holds the certification of CPC (Certified Professional Coach) from The Academy for Coach Training, Bellevue, Washington, an International Coach Federation accredited academy.

Donna lives on Bainbridge Island with her husband and partner, David Womeldorff, and is the mother of three children. Donna and David are both authors and often work together.