Donna May Covey (born 20 June 1961) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

charity executive and former trade union leader. Covey attended the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

, where she completed a degree in mathematics and business studies, then the

Birkbeck Institute , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £109 ...

. On graduating, she began working in research for the

Engineers and Managers Association The Engineers' and Managers' Association (EMA) was a trade union representing managers in the United Kingdom, principally those in the engineering industry. The union was founded in 1913 as the Association of Electrical Station Engineers, and befo ...

, then soon moved to work in the same role at the

GMB union The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...

. She was also chair of the London Food Commission in 1986/87 and vice-chair of the

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

Community Health Council in 1987/88. then soon moved to work for the

GMB Union The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...

. In 1988, she became a national officer for the GMB, and the following year was elected to the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

. From 1992 to 1998, she also served on the National Women's Committee of the Labour Party. In 1998, Covey moved to become director of the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales. At the time, the government planned to abolish community health councils, but the threat was withdrawn until several years later. In 2001, she became Chief Executive of the

National Asthma Campaign Asthma + Lung UK is a British charity based in London. It focuses on respiratory health, in particular asthma and lung disease. The organisation came into being as a result of a merger in January 2020, between Asthma UK and the British Lung Fou ...

, then from 2007 held the same post on the

Refugee Council The Refugee Council is a UK based organisation which works with refugees and asylum seekers. The organisation provides support and advice to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as support for other refugee and asylum seeker organisations. The R ...

. From 2010 to 2012, she also served as a trustee of the

Equality and Diversity Forum Formerly the Equality and Diversity Forum, Equally Ours is a network of UK organisations committed to equal opportunities, social justice, good community relations, respect for human rights and an end to discrimination based on age, disability, ge ...

. During her time with the Refugee Council, its income halved, and Covey left in 2012. In 2014, Covey became the director of Against Violence and Abuse. That year, she was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Covey, Donna 1961 births Living people Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Alumni of the University of Warwick British chief executives Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress