OUR REGION'S FUTURE. - Virginia Western Community College

DISTINGUISHED
ALUMNI AWARD 2008
Advocate. Friend. Supporter. Alumna.
Th ese are just a few of the words that
can describe Donna L. Mitchell,
’81, the 2008 Virginia Western
Community College Distinguished Alumni
Award recipient.
A 1981 graduate of Virginia Western
Community College, she credits the College
with changing her life. “My years at Virginia
Western were a pivotal time for me,” states
Mitchell. “Th e warm, nurturing, empowering
environment there brought me from a shy
child to a self-confi dent young woman.” A
confi dence that bred accomplishment: Donna
transferred to Virginia Tech, where she was
“very well prepared” to earn separate degrees in
Business Management and English. Not afraid
to take risks, she found a niche where she could
intertwine both her business and analytical
skills as a stockbroker for UBS Financial
Services Inc., where she has worked for more
than 20 years and is currently its Vice President
of Investments.
“Every day, Virginia Western proves the
adage that ‘if you give a man a fi sh you feed
him for a day, but if you teach him how to
fi sh you feed him for a lifetime’,” and through
Donna’s work on both the Virginia Western
Community College Educational Board of
Directors and the Virginia Western Alumni
Council, she is able to see the proof every day.
“It has been my pleasure to witness these positive
changes fi rsthand through my work with the
Foundation. I fi rmly believe that my fi nancial
contributions to the Foundation are making a
real diff erence in the lives of individuals and in
our community,” states Mitchell. Donna and
her family established the James Mark Mitchell
Endowed Scholarship in 1997 in memory of
her brother, and in 2004 Donna and four of her
classmates from Virginia Western established
the Friendship Endowed Scholarship and the
Friendship Annual Scholarship to fi nancially
assist female students in the college’s service
region. She has also included Virginia Western
in her estate plans.
Th e impact of Donna’s eff orts for Virginia
Western continue to be felt as she tirelessly
supports the Foundation in its day-to-day
fundraising and advocacy initiatives. Donna is
the immediate past president of the Educational
Foundation and was instrumental in establishing
the College’s fi rst Alumni Association in 2005.
She served as the fi rst Alumni Council Chair.
Donna’s dedication to Virginia Western has
also been recognized at the state level. She was
the 2008 recipient of the Virginia Community
College System Chancellor’s Award for
Leadership in Philanthropy.
Donna spoke to the near-capacity crowd in
Whitman Auditorium when she received her
award this past November and she spoke fondly
of her time at Virginia Western. She credited
her alma mater for changing her life, something
that tens of thousands of her fellow alumni can
easily relate to.
14 • Spring/Summer 2009 Virginia Western Educational Foundation Alumni & Friends News • Volume 2 • Issue 2