She co-led campaign to defeat Ballot Measure 9 in Oregon; was named Advocate Woman of the Year 1992. Donna was the policy director at the Gill Foundation's Outgiving Project until April 2003, where she managed various gay-related projects and served as the gay rights advocacy group's training director.

Donna lives in the mountains of Colorado with her partner of 17 years, Sumitra, with their wire-haired dachshund, Doc Watson and their golden-aussie, Cinnamon. Her son, Julian Dylan Russell, is a professional musician and runs Magpie Sound Design, a recording studio in Boston.