Anchorage School Board member Dave Donley has been appointed by Governor Dunleavy to serve in the Department of Administration.
A spokesman for the governor says that since January 2nd, Donley has been deputy commissioner of the department. In his duties, he will help oversee state administrative services such as finance, labor relations and mail distribution.
Donley is a former lawmaker — serving in the state House from 1987 to 1992 and the state Senate from 1993 to 2003. He was recently a lobbyist for Hope Community Resources, an Anchorage nonprofit that provides services to people with developmental disorders and mental health issues. Donley’s wife Jamie currently serves as the lobbyist for the nonprofit.
A spokeswoman for the Anchorage School Board says that Donley hasn’t said he will step down from his position on the board. He served in his capacity as a board member as recently as Monday, several days after he was hired by the state. According to the school board, it isn’t unprecedented for someone to serve on a school board in Alaska and also work for the Governor.
Donley has served on the board since 2017, and is up for reelection in 2020.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
