About Donna Jackel


Donna graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. After several years editing and writing for magazines in New York, Donna, moved to Rochester, NY, in 1990, where she has made her home since. Writing for a mid-sized daily, the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester NY, she developed a sixth sense for finding intriguing human-interest stories that frequently landed on 1A, learned to think fast and write faster, conduct rich interviews and dig up meaningful data. Each day, she had a double deadline, filing her story and racing to the daycare before it closed.
In 2006, Donna decided to go solo. Her markets have included: Lilith, The Chicago Tribune, the Chronicle of Higher Education, CityLab, Next Avenue, AARP Bulletin and BBC Travel. In addition to writing articles and grants for nonprofit organizations, Donna taught writing to graduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester community health program.
With their daughter and son in college, Donna and her husband, Steve Dewhurst, have a semi-empty nest so there is more time for uninterrupted work.When Donna is not writing, she is hiking with her dogs, Sunny and Blizzard, gardening, studying creative nonfiction or horseback riding at Hidden Creek Farm.
Her volunteer work has included tutoring, membership with climate conservation, criminal justice and mental health organizations, visiting nursing homes with Sunny, a trained therapy dog, and writing pro bono for nonprofits.