As part of a government sponsored, nonprofit initiative, author and political consultant Donna Zajonc traveled to Tunis to meet with sixty prominent Islamic women from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Donna’s intimate account of her experience is a part hopeful, part cautionary tale of modern Muslim women emerging from the overt oppression imposed by governments, only to find themselves bound by a more pervasive, unspoken culture of limitation they called “the mindset.” This interview provides a fascinating glimpse into the politics of women’s liberation and the deeply ingrained resistance to it that applies as much to the industrialized West as it does to the traditional East.
BIO
Donna Zajonc [Say-John], a former Oregon state representative, is a political leadership coach, professional seminar leader, and author. Her recent book, The Politics of Hope: Reviving the Dream of Democracy, addresses the viability of collaborative, nonpartisan politics as a potent political strategy.
Zajonc was called to public leadership at a young age. At 28, she was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives for three consecutive terms, serving from 1978 to 1984. She was a chairperson for multiple committees and was named Assistant Minority Leader. Zajonc later served as campaign manager for an Oregon state governor's race.
In addition to her many accomplishments within Oregon, Zajonc has been recognized as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Women in America.” More recently, she has begun working internationally, most recently in Tunisia, with the Partners in Participation: Women's Campaign Initiative designed to help emerging women leaders in the Middle East and North Africa.
“The purpose of my work is to change the political culture and renew the nobility of public service,” says Zajonc. She articulates this point of view in her book, The Politics of Hope: Reviving the Dream of Democracy, which demonstrates that collaborative, nonpartisan politics is not merely a suggestion, but a viable solution. As a leadership coach, Zajonc prepares leaders of all kinds including elected officials, political candidates, and business owners. Zajonc challenges them to understand rapidly changing leadership paradigms while preparing them to perform their own political duties with the same level of rigor that is so commonly implemented by all successful professionals.
Currently, Zajonc lives with her three children in Bainbridge Island, WA.
