Mag. Gen. Donald
Retired Maj. Gen. James E. Donald of Atlanta received the UM Alumni Association Hall of Fame award in 2012, the highest annual alumni honor for outstanding contributions through good deeds, services, or contributions.
Donald, former chairman of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, earned the Bronze Star for his bold leadership as a task force commander with the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles during Gulf War I. He achieved strategic successes as deputy commanding general for the U.S. Army Pacific and two tours of duty at the Pentagon. He was appointed commissioner of corrections in December 2003.
In 2009 Donald was sworn in by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to a seven-year term on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles and was subsequently elected by his colleagues to serve two consecutive terms as chairman.
A Jackson native and a 1970 graduate of UM with a B.A. in political science and history, Donald earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri.