In her best-selling book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth writes, “Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in, day-out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” One of the WIF members who demonstrate true grit is Donna Dunlap.
Donna was born in Charlotte and raised in Connecticut. Donna notes, “My parents were both first-generation college educated and they always made it clear that their expectation was that my brother and I achieve more than they did professionally.” Donna worked hard and chose to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, a historically black women’s college, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Upon graduation, she joined Xerox Corporation in human resources and then moved into sales. “While my dream was to join the Peace Corps and later become a defense attorney, my father’s dream was for me to climb the corporate ladder. I spent most of my career following my dad’s dream for me at Xerox – hitting every rung of that ladder. In a male-dominated, technical work environment, I never wanted my competency to be questioned. I wanted it clear why I advanced when I did. I avoided shortcuts on my climb and worked hard to make sure my record would speak for itself,” says Donna. While managing disaster recovery after 9/11 in New York City and Long Island as the company’s Regional Vice President of Sales was a very stressful time for her, it was also a time of reflection. She notes, “It became the tipping point in my life. I began to consider if I had died that day, what had I left undone?”
In the aftermath, Donna decided to go back to school to earn her Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Connecticut. Although divorced, she also knew she wanted to be a mom. She decided, as a single person, to foster a newborn and ultimately, adopt him. Now, she laughs and notes, “Yes, all of this happened at the same time while I was the Regional Vice President for the largest region in the US. I look back now and have no idea how I managed it all. My commute to and from NYC each day was 3 hours on a good day!” After continuing to climb the ladder while balancing motherhood, she retired from Xerox after 32 years. By then she had transferred to Charlotte, and after working at Microsoft for several years, she began to explore ways to become more involved in the community, including board service and pro bono nonprofit consulting. “I quickly realized that my calling was to serve. When asked to interview for the Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO position, I felt it was a perfect fit. My mom was a Big Sister and I always wanted to help more vulnerable children, beyond my own son, realize their full potential.”
Today, Donna continues to demonstrate her grit in her efforts to impact economic mobility, end generational poverty and support upcoming leaders. Her best advice? “Everyone has a special purpose in life. It sometimes takes us a while to discover it, but you must discover it to feel fulfilled. It took me over 50 years. Once you have discovered your purpose in life and if it is also something that you are passionate about – you will experience joy! If you are not there yet, don’t wait any longer. Take the time, pause and identify your passions and map out a path that enables you to fulfill your purpose today!”
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