Donna F. Edwards

Former Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards represented Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, comprising portions of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties. She was sworn in after a special election to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 110th Congress in June 2008, becoming the first African American woman to represent Maryland in Congress. She began her first full-term in the 111th Congress in 2009.

Congresswoman Edwards has enjoyed a diverse career as a nonprofit public interest advocate and in the private sector on NASA’s Spacelab project. As the executive director of the Arca Foundation in Washington, D.C., she led the foundation’s effort in support of worker justice at home and abroad, campaign finance reform, government and corporate accountability, and civic participation.

Prior to joining the Arca Foundation, Ms. Edwards was the first executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, which she co-founded and chaired. A longtime campaign reform advocate, Ms. Edwards also headed the Center for a New Democracy and was a lobbyist for the nonprofit Public Citizen organization. Ms. Edwards participates on numerous nonprofit boards, including the NNEDV, Proteus Fund/Proteus Action League, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and is a member of the National Governing Board of Common Cause. As a grantmaker, Ms. Edwards is also co-chair of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation.

Ms. Edwards has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, CNN\'s Crossfire, McLaughlin One on One, NBC’s Today Show, and on numerous other local, national and international news and information programs. Ms. Edwards has authored articles on civic participation, violence against women, election law issues, and community and economic development.

For 10 years, Ms. Edwards served as trustee of the Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire, from which she received her juris doctor degree. She completed undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Follow Ms. Edwards on Twitter @RepDonnaEdwards.