Another edition of M2057’s Spotlight Series: In Her Own Words is here. Each month, we feature the dynamic, stylish, and powerful women who inspire us daily.
Meet this month’s spotlight: Donna Bunch Coaxum.
Donna has built a flourishing career in the consumer food industry – getting her start as a lawyer with Oscar Mayer-Kraft Foods Group, and now as the SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, for OSI Group LLC – which provides custom food products to some of the world’s leading foodservice brands. Donna’s love of community and education lives through her commitment to serving on the Chicago State Foundation Board, helping to raise funds for those who could not otherwise afford further education, and the Board of Executive Service Corps to help make non-profit organizations more beneficial for the parties they serve.
Special thanks to Sarah Kammerer for the beautiful photography for this spotlight!
Donna is wearing the Jolie mini tunic, Josephine dress, Bettina top, and Rani pants.
IN HER WORDS...
What I love about being a woman
As a woman, I appreciate that I get the opportunity to do things like: giving birth to my daughter and serve as one of her female role models, dressing in fabulous clothes and really high heels and experimenting with make-up and various hairstyles and color, and having a career where I can be both nurturing and demanding without missing a beat.
How I create a work/life balance
I create work/life balance by taking time on the weekend to rest, attend bible class and shut off from the world for a full 24 hours. No work, no random phone calls and no frivolous interruption of my prayer time. This period of time allows me to re-center and re-focus.
My personal style
My personal fashion style is fluid; a mixture of funky, modern elegance, and stylish with a splash of classic feminism. In the summertime, you might catch me wearing a designer skirt outfit with combat boots and a straw hat. It’s that unexpected glamour that sends a message of feeling good about myself. That is what Maria Pinto’s clothes do for me. They provide the unexpected classy yet sexy/feminine twist. The clothes are deceptively fashionable and conversation starters. When you approach me in a M2057 design from the front it might present as a traditional classic piece, but after I pass you by and you turn to watch me walk away, you will see something unique that places a stylish exclamation point on the outfit. It may be a special set of pleats, an asymmetrical hemline, an angled collar or other unexpected accent. I love that Maria Pinto fashion can tell a story about you without you ever saying a word.
How I’m dressing right now
I am currently primarily dressing for work in business and business-casual attire, but quickly transitioning from that more traditional 100% tailored work suit to a more stylish and feminine business look that can quickly transition to an after work look with the addition of a jacket, belt or other accessory.
Best gift I’ve received
The best gift I have ever received was from my Acting Teacher during my Freshman year at Whitney Young High School. I was very shy and took the acting class to help me break through my shyness. At the end of the school year, my Acting Teacher gave me a walnut that was spray painted with metallic gold paint and with my name written on it in black marker. When he presented it to me, he said “Congratulations, you have come out of your shell.” That meant a lot. I still have that walnut and it’s been 35+ years.
Best piece of advice
The best advice I ever received was in a card from my 6th grade teacher that she gave me for being named the Valedictorian of my 8th grade class. The card read “There is a law of compensation that keeps working all life through, when you give your best to something the best comes back to you.” I continue to live by that advice even today.
Wisdom I’d tell my younger self
I would tell my younger self to stop and savor your success milestones because you deserve to be celebrated.
