Donna is an award winning broadcast journalist, editor and co-author of Glory, The Struggle For Yards: Inspiration from Turn of the Century African-American Unsung Heroes. She has also edited co-wrote Ben's Many Classrooms. She is the owner of Frankly Speaking Communications LLC, a communications company. As a reporter and writer, she has covered stories for CBS News, Alabama Public Television, The Alabama Radio Network, local affiliates ABC-TV,  NBC-TV, Agence France Presse, Oprah, to name a few.  

In 2015, Donna Francavilla was named Positive Maturity’s Top 50 Over 50. 

A two-time international journalism fellow and active speaker, Francavilla has won Alabama Media Professionals and National Federation of Press Women communication awards, winning the most in the state in 2013, (12) and 4 nationally.  She has captured top communications and journalism awards in national competitions for 4 consecutive years between 2011-2018. 

Francavilla dedicates a significant amount of her time to volunteer work in the community; she served 3 terms on the Leadership Shelby County Board, serves on the alumni committee and is a Leadership Birmingham graduate and Leadership Hoover graduate.  Active in her church, she is a lector and is the marketing director for the only annual Italian Festival in the State, the Feast of Saint Mark. 

Francavilla, is the mother of 4 and a proud grandmother to 5.