Donna Whitehead is the Associate Pastor of Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, where she has faithfully served the diverse, historic congregation for 24 years. One of the first seven women to be ordained by the North Texas UMC Conference, Donna has served in Christian ministry for 44 years as a pastor and United Methodist conference leader.

Her pioneering spirit led her to become one of the first women enrolled at the Perkins School of Theology, the first woman intern at Highland Park United Methodist Church in 1979, the first woman to serve as chair of the Plano Ministerial Alliance in 1985, the first woman to chair the Finance and Administration Team for the North Texas UMC Conference in 1988, and the first full-time director for the Lovers Lane United Methodist Church Foundation in 2004.

She was featured in Dina Moor’s book, Unstoppable Woman (Case Books), published in 2008. Her first 20 years of ministerial success as an associate pastor at Custer Road United Methodist Church, where she helped build the congregation from the ground up, made her an authority on church growth and lay leadership development. She has taught workshops around the country about how to grow churches and is known for her work in starting classes and small groups—including those promoting the Bethel Bible Study, the Alpha course, the Experiencing God Series, and most recently The Chosen series. As Loretta Lynn once said, “You've got to continue to grow, or you're just like last night's cornbread...stale and dry."   Donna holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas, a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University, and a master’s in divinity from the Perkins School of Theology. She and her husband, Don Whitehead, have been married for 59 years. They reside in Plano, Texas, and have two adult children and six grandchildren.