Donna C. McLarty

Donna McLarty
Dean’s Advisory Board Member
Co-Founder, Board Chair Emeritus, & Board Member, Vital Voices Global Partnership

The main focus for Donna McLarty in Washington, D.C. has been Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international non-governmental organization focused on women’s empowerment around the world, which she co-founded 25 years ago.  She is a former board chair and continues to serve on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

In 2002, Donna and her husband Mack established the McLarty Global Scholars program at their alma mater.  This program has provided graduate students at the Clinton School of Public Service/University of Arkansas with opportunities to engage in substantive research with Vital Voices and the Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace and Security. The McLarty Scholars’ work has resulted in a published research tool that can be used by other organizations, colleges and universities for data analysis.   

The Board of Blair House, the President’s Guest House, has also been a long-term commitment.  Donna’s focus has been on providing international diplomacy through hospitality to visiting dignitaries, while preserving the rich heritage of America’s decorative arts.  Donna is an inaugural member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at the Clinton School of Public Service and remains active with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she formerly served as a Trustee, by engaging in their International Committee for cultural diplomacy.

Other past board service includes the Women’s Foreign Policy Group and Meridian International Center, as well as Wesley Theological Seminary and WETA (Washington D.C.’s local PBS station).

In her home state of Arkansas, Donna helped create and chaired the Centers for Youth and Families, co-chaired the Arkansas Commission for Juvenile Justice with then-First Lady of Arkansas Hillary Clinton and served on the Boards of the Arkansas Art Center, the Arts in Education program and the Airport Commission.  She has been recognized with the Arkansas Community Service Award and—together with her husband—the NCCJ (National Conference for Community and Justice) Humanitarian Award.Â