Donna Christian-Christensen
Encyclopedia
Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, formerly Donna Christian-Green (born September 19, 1945), is the non-voting Delegate
from the United States Virgin Islands
to the United States House of Representatives
(map).
, the daughter of a county judge. She attended St. Mary’s College
in Notre Dame, Indiana
and the George Washington University
School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
and earned an M.D.
She interned at San Francisco's Pacific Medical Center and performed her residency at Howard University
medical center.
s for the 1984, 1988, and 1992 elections. She has also previously served on the Status Commission and the Board of Education for the USVI.
. However, she was elected as a Democrat
to the House in a 1996 rematch with Frazer and has served from January 3, 1997, to the present.
Donna Christian-Christensen is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
and the Congressional Progressive Caucus
. She was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a Protectorate
segment. She is also the first female physician to win a congressional election.
During the 2008 electoral campaign, she appeared in a TV advertisement endorsing the reelection of neighboring Puerto Rico
Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
, who went to trial after the November 2008 elections for a twenty-four-count federal Grand Jury indictment for corruption. The jury found him not guilty, though he did lose his bid for re-election.
She was reelected in a landslide on November 2, 2010
.
of the USCGC Reef Shark during the vessel's commissioning ceremony
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
. The Reef Shark is a new 87' cutter, built at an approximate cost of $7.5 million by Bollinger Shipyards
in Lockport, Louisiana
.
Delegate (United States Congress)
A delegate to Congress is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives who is elected from a U.S. territory and from Washington, D.C. to a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, a non-voting delegate may vote in a House committee of which the delegate is a member...
from the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(map).
Early life
Donna Christian-Christensen was born in Teaneck, New JerseyTeaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, the daughter of a county judge. She attended St. Mary’s College
Saint Mary's College (Indiana)
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. It is located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community northeast of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States — as are the University of Notre Dame and Holy...
in Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
and the George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
School of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and earned an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
She interned at San Francisco's Pacific Medical Center and performed her residency at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
medical center.
Career
Donna Christian-Christensen worked as a physician, first in the emergency room and later in the maternity ward. She then served as medical director for the St. Croix Hospital in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She was the Commissioner of Health for the Virgin Islands in 1993 and 1994 and also ran a private medical practice until 1996. Christian was a delegate to the Democratic National ConventionDemocratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
s for the 1984, 1988, and 1992 elections. She has also previously served on the Status Commission and the Board of Education for the USVI.
U.S. House of Representatives
Donna Christian-Christensen ran unsuccessfully for the position of USVI delegate in 1994, losing a three-way race to Victor Frazer of the Independent Citizens MovementIndependent Citizens Movement
The Independent Citizens Movement is a conservative political party in the U.S. Virgin Islands that was founded by Virdin C. Brown and Steve O'Reilly in 1968. Its symbol is the torch.- Early history:...
. However, she was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the House in a 1996 rematch with Frazer and has served from January 3, 1997, to the present.
Donna Christian-Christensen is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the black members of the United States Congress. Membership is exclusive to blacks, and its chair in the 112th Congress is Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.-Aims:...
and the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions....
. She was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a Protectorate
Better Know A District
Better Know a District is a recurring segment on The Colbert Report. It offers a humorous explanation of a different United States Congressional district in each segment and generally includes an interview with that district's member of Congress.- Structure :Each segment begins with basic...
segment. She is also the first female physician to win a congressional election.
During the 2008 electoral campaign, she appeared in a TV advertisement endorsing the reelection of neighboring Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
, who went to trial after the November 2008 elections for a twenty-four-count federal Grand Jury indictment for corruption. The jury found him not guilty, though he did lose his bid for re-election.
She was reelected in a landslide on November 2, 2010
United States House of Representatives election in the United States Virgin Islands, 2010
The 2010 Congressional election for Delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands was held on November 2, 2010....
.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and CommerceUnited States House Committee on Energy and CommerceThe Committee on Energy and Commerce is one of the oldest standing committees of the United States House of Representatives. Established in 1795, it has operated continuously—with various name changes and jurisdictional changes—for more than 200 years...
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsUnited States House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and InvestigationsThe U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is a subcommittee within the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.-Jurisdiction:...
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Honors and recognitions
On March 23, 2009, Delegate Christensen became the Ship SponsorShip Sponsor
A ship sponsor, by tradition, is a female civilian who is invited to "sponsor" a vessel, presumably to bestow good luck and divine protection over the seagoing vessel and all that sail aboard...
of the USCGC Reef Shark during the vessel's commissioning ceremony
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. The Reef Shark is a new 87' cutter, built at an approximate cost of $7.5 million by Bollinger Shipyards
Bollinger Shipyards
Bollinger Shipyards is an American constructor of ships, workboats and patrol vessels.The firm was founded in 1946.Its thirteen shipyards and forty drydocks are located in Louisiana and Texas....
in Lockport, Louisiana
Lockport, Louisiana
Lockport is a town on Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,624 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.