Anne de la Blanchetai Donahue is an American politician from the state ofVermont. She has served as a member of theVermont House of Representatives since 2003, representing the Washington-1 district, which includes theWashington County towns ofBerlin andNorthfield. Donohue representedWashington-2 until 2013, when she was redistricted. She is also editor ofCounterpoint, a quarterly mental health publication distributed for free throughout Vermont.
Starting in 1981, Donahue worked as a program director for theNew York City location ofCovenant House, the largest privately fundedchildcare agency in the United States providing shelter and service tohomeless andrunaway youths. She served as senior staff attorney for the New York location until 1986 and stayed on as program director until 1988,[3] when she left to become executive director of the Covenant Center location inLos Angeles. Whereas in New York the youths she helped consisted largely of urban poor street youths, the young people she served inCalifornia came originally from middle- and upper-middle-class homes from all around the country, but who had been living in the California streets for as many as three years and become exposed to psychological damage andAIDS.[4] Donahue served as the California location's executive director until 1990.[3] That year, she received the Jefferson Lifetime Achievement Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Younger.[5]
In 1990, Donahue moved toNorthfield, Vermont, where her family has roots going back five generations.[5] From 1991 to 1996, Donahue worked as a junior high school teacher inWinooski, Vermont. In 1998, she became editor ofCounterpoint,[3] a quarterly mental health publication published by Vermont Psychiatric Survivors, Inc., which is distributed free throughout Vermont and has a circulation of about 7,000.[6] As of 2009[update],[3] Donahue continues to serve as editor of the publication.[6]
Donahue has served on a number of non-legislative committees, including the Act 129 Parity Committee (2000–2004); the State Standing Committee for Adult Mental Health (2000–2004); theFletcher Allen Health Care Mental Health Task Force (2001–2004); the State Hospital Futures Committee (2004); and the Corrections Stakeholder Mental Health Committee (2004).[3] She has also served on the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections,[2] and was a member ofRotary International from 2003 to 2004.[3]
Anne Donahue, aRepublican, has been serving as a representative on theVermont House of Representatives since 2003. She represents theWashington-2 district, which includes theWashington County towns ofMoretown,Northfield, andRoxbury. Donahue has been serving on the Mental Health Oversight Committee since 2003,[2] as has been described in theRutland Herald as "one of the Legislature's strongest mental health advocates".[7] Donahue was also the ranking minority member of the Human Services Committee.[3]
On April 2, 2009, Donahue was one of five Vermont House Republicans who voted in favor of a bill allowing same-sex marriages in the state; the bill passed with an overall vote of 95–52.[8] Donahue was instrumental in amending the bill to clarify a distinction between civil and religious marriage.[8] TheLog Cabin Republicans, a gay and lesbian political organization, awarded their annual Uncommon Courage Award in April 2009 to Donahue and seven other Vermont Republican lawmakers for their votes in favor ofgay marriage.[9]
Donahue ran for re-election in 2024 as an Independent.[10]
