News Release

Contact: Cheryl Jones, University of Minnesota Alumni Association, 612-626-4707; cmj@umn.edu

St. Paul’s Donna Anderson Honored for Leadership and Service by U of M

Minneapolis/St. Paul --- Donna M. Anderson, St. Paul, is being honored by the University of Minnesota for her leadership in public health in Minnesota and for her volunteer contributions to the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.

Anderson will receive the University’s Alumni Service Award at a celebration held October 8, as part of Homecoming 2009, at the University’s McNamara Alumni Center. The award honors long-time service and a legacy of volunteerism.

“Donna is an amazing alumni volunteer,” said Margaret Sughrue Carlson, chief executive officer of the Alumni Association. “She has contributed an incredible amount of time, wisdom, and talent to the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, and the Alumni Association for many, many years. She has a wonderful passion for her profession, for higher education, and for our great University. We will reap the benefits of Donna's loyalty and generosity for many years to come. She has truly left a volunteer legacy.”

Heralding Anderson’s public health leadership role and her contributions to the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, Dr. John Finnegan, Dean of the School and Assistant Vice President for Public Health at the University, who nominated Anderson for the prestigious award, said she “has been a top public health administrator in Minnesota counties for nearly 40 years.” She has recently served a range of nonprofit and governmental clients as a public health policy consultant, according to Finnegan.

“Her knowledge of issues and trends, her many connections within the public health community and her prodigious capacity for work have made Ms. Anderson an invaluable ally for the School of Public Health,” he said. “She built a critical bridge between the public health community and the School of Public Health, a vital conduit for the dialogue an action necessary to protect and enhance the health of Minnesotans.”

The University of Minnesota Alumni Association is a 60,000-member organization that has advocated for the University’s important work for more than a century. By joining the Alumni Association, alumni become ambassadors for the University. For more information, go to www.minnesotaalumni.org or call 800-862-5867.

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