Biography of Donna L. Brightman

PERSONAL INFORMATION

• Moved to Boonsboro, Md. from Oxford, Md., 1987

• Renovated 1850 circa house in Brownsville, Md., 1988-2002

• Moved to Knoxville, Md., 2002

• Married to Courtney R. Hirsh, 1986

• Two sons: Reid and Turner Hirsh, both currently attending college

• Aunt Doris Pearsall, 95, also resides with Donna and her family

CURRENT COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

• Steering Committee Member – Western Maryland Branch, U.S. Green Buildings, Baltimore Chapter

• Chair – Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) Task Force, Washington County-Hagerstown Chamber of Commerce

• Board of Directors Member – Antietam Creek Watershed Alliance (ACWA)

CURRENT BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE &
LIAISON RESPONSIBILITIES

• Member of the BOE’s Facilities, Finance and Policy Committees

• BOE liaison to the Washington County Planning Commission and the municipal governments within the county, including the local chapter of the Maryland Municipal League (MML)

• Chair of the BOE’s Ad Hoc Committee for the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts (BISFA)

• BOE’s representative on the Community Coalition

CIVIC EXPERIENCE

• Vice President, Washington County Board of Education (BOE); member since May 2007

• Candidate, County Commissioner, Washington County, 2006

• Member, Task Force on Home Rule for Washington County, 2005-06

• Member, BOE Second Generation Task Force, 2006

• Member, BOE Facilities and Enrollment Advisory Committee (FEAC), 2005-07

• Legislative Liaison, Washington County PTA to Maryland PTA, 2005-06

• Chair, Washington County PTA Facilities Committee, 2005-06

• Legislative Advocate, BOE Task Force, 2006

• Advocate for Council of Governments, 2004-06

• Member and Chair, Citizens Advisory Committee, 1993-2006

• Member, School Improvement Teams (SIT) for Pleasant Valley Elementary and Boonsboro Middle schools, 1993-2003

• Member, BOE Budget Advisory Committee, 1997-1999

• Advocate for Scenic River Designation Legislation (Va.), 1971-73

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Designer/Project Manager -- Rivers Edge Landscapes, custom design build landscape company, Virginia

• Manager, Landscape Department -- Overbrook Nursery, Virginia

• Owner/Operator -- Garden Art, custom design build landscape company

• Purchaser/Copy Writer -- Tidewater Specialties, hunting, fishing and sporting dog training catalog

• Legislative Assistant to Delegates Bonnie Paul and Clinton Miller, and Senator Nathan Miller, Virginia

EDUCATION INFORMATION

• Bauder College, Atlanta, Ga. -- Business/Design

• James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va. -- Business/Political Science

• Montgomery College, Damascus, Md. -- Plant Pathology

• Green industry training -- Low voltage lighting, Pest/Pathogen Identification & Control, Paver Installation, Water Element Design