2009
Donna Hurd Drohan, Honorary Degree Recipient
Donna Hurd Drohan 1969, a former member of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s national research facility and founder of Donna H. Drohan Consulting, is presented the honorary degree of Humane Letters.
Read the citation for her degree below:
Explorers who journey into uncharted territory need boundless energy, great courage, and the willingness to draw their own maps. You, Donna Hurd Drohan, are an intrepid voyager, and your journey has uncovered new terrain for women and men.
You found your calling at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National research facility, where you became an expert on evaluating the impact of advanced concepts on army operations. During your 16 years there, you completed a major study for the Joint Chiefs of Staff that was lauded then and is still cited today. You received a number of individual and group awards and remained, in your words, “stunningly and amazingly happy.”
Now you run your own company, Donna H. Drohan Consulting, where you continue to further defense transportation and logistics concepts. Your life’s work ensures the safety of American soldiers, as you find more efficient ways to speed supplies to troops while reducing exposure to risk.
An intense passion for your profession has marked your 28-year career. In 1980, when you graduated as Department Scholar from Harvard’s City and Regional Planning master’s degree program, you said you felt like you had “died and gone straight to heaven.”
You’ve said about your work, “It’s important to believe that an idea isn’t bad just because no one seems to be listening. It just takes time, and this belief has to sustain you.” We admire your perseverance, and we are proud to present you with the degree: Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.