Don was initially elected to the School Board in May of 2006, and he was re-elected in May of 2010 and again in November of 2015. Following a successful contested election, he was declared the winner of the November 2018 election Kite v. Curlin, 139 N.E.3d 1113, trans. den. (Ind. 2020). In 1982, Don graduated from Loyola College of Maryland with a degree in Philosophy, and in 1986 he received his law degree from Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis. After Don’s graduation from law school, he served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Appellate Section of the Indiana Attorney General’s Office before serving federal clerkships for Magistrate Judge Kennard Foster (1988-1990), and Senior District Judges James E. Noland (1990-1992) and William E. Steckler (1992-1995). Following his clerkships, Don has practiced law throughout the State of Indiana.
In 2007, Don co-authored Federal Justice in Indiana, the history of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, with Butler University History Professor George Geib. In 2010, Don authored several biographical sketches of various Indiana Supreme Court justices for Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court. Thereafter, Don authored several biographical sketches for “Indiana’s 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State,” which was published in 2015 in celebration of the Bicentennial of Indiana Statehood. Most recently, Don authored several biographical sketches of various judges who served on the Indiana Court of Appeals in an Indiana Historical Society publication titled, “The Court of Appeals of Indiana” (2022). Don is a past recipient of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana’s Defense Lawyer of the Year Award, and the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Dr. John Morton Finney, Jr. Award for Excellence in Legal Education. Don also served as state-wide Chair of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana’s Amicus Committee (2012-2016).
For several years prior to his election to the School Board, Don was actively involved in Washington Township Schools, serving as president or co-president of the Greenbriar Elementary School Dads’ Club, the Westlane Middle School PTO, the North Central High School PTO, and the Washington Township Parent Council. Don was also a member of the Washington Township Schools Foundation Board and he served as Secretary of the Parent Advisory Council. Additionally, Don chaired or co-chaired several District-wide committees or task forces including committees which made recommendations to the School Board or Superintendent regarding middle school redistricting, middle school improvement, and proposed improvements to, or replacements of, Township facilities.
Don and his wife Grace, who is an educator and artist, have been married for over 36 years. They are the parents of three children: Brad (2005 North Central graduate), Leah (2008 North Central graduate), and David (2009 North Central graduate), each of whom attended Washington Township Schools from kindergarten through graduation; they are also the grandparents of five lovely and talented granddaughters (Caroline, Olivia, Aiko, Aeja, and Jo) and one grandson (John William, Jr.).
