Donna Jennings joined TNSTEP in 1999 and serves as the organization’s Business and Personnel Manager. She oversees financial operations, including accounting, payroll, compliance, and reporting, ensuring responsible stewardship of public funds and the overall fiscal health of the organization.
Donna brings more than 18 years of prior experience in manufacturing, where she served as a production assembler, supervisor, and floor manager. She has also completed extensive coursework in accounting and continues to stay current through ongoing professional development. Before joining TNSTEP staff, Donna served on the TNSTEP Board.
Donna’s work is deeply personal. Her adult son, who has multiple disabilities including cerebral palsy, first connected their family to TNSTEP when he was a young child. Since then, her family has been actively involved in advocacy and community organizations, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, equine therapy, and music therapy initiatives. These experiences fuel her commitment to helping families access resources and maintain high expectations for their children.
At TNSTEP, Donna combines her attention to detail with a strong sense of responsibility and integrity, ensuring systems and processes are in place to support accurate reporting, compliance, and effective use of funding.
Donna often shares this advice with families: Keep detailed records. Maintain a binder of your child’s journey—letters, emails, meetings, and decisions—so you can track progress, advocate effectively, and support your child’s path to becoming a valued member of their community.
