Even though Amy Donahue (’09, ’11) grew up less than an hour away from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, moving to the larger city and bustling campus was very different from her small, rural hometown of Jellico, Tennessee. But the two-time College of Communication and Information alumnus acclimated to city life on a large campus, and since graduating has had a stellar career working in a variety of capacities and industries—most recently as assistant vice chancellor of communication and constituent relations for the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, since 2022.
Her professional excellence, involvement with civic organizations, and the time she’s given back to her alma mater have culminated in her making this year’s Volunteer 40 Under 40 cohort. It’s not the first time she’s been recognized by her alma mater, as she was named the Alumna of the year for the School of Communication Studies in 2017, but she was still taken aback at this new honor.
“I struggle to take a compliment, just like a lot of people, so for a second it took me a little bit by surprise, and it was really an honor to be included with that group,” she said. “To see that your professional success—while I’ll never win an Olympic gold medal or be the head coach of an athletic team—it is special to be recognized for the work that I’ve done since wrapping up my degrees.”
Becoming a Volunteer and now working for the UT System has been a full circle experience for Donahue, whose first interactions with UT were coming to campus with her parents to support various Tennessee Athletics teams.
“That set some of those foundational memories and warm and fuzzy feelings for the university that grew. I enjoyed coming on campus on game days, seeing that experience and enjoying a very particular shade of orange that only UT folks can appreciate ,” she said with a chuckle.
Choosing to attend UT was in part due to that affinity but it was also a practical choice because of in-state tuition and scholarship offers. Ultimately, it was one of the best choices she made, Donahue said. She came into her first year declared as a communication studies major because she thought it would be interesting to learn more about how people choose to communicate. She finished her senior year wanting to learn even more and pursued her master’s in the same area of study.
“For me, did I know exactly what I was getting into on day one of the major? No. But as I continued with the classwork and professors and learning about the alumni base and the jobs that were available, I think I always appreciated with my communication major that I would likely find something I’d enjoy and I’d never be trapped professionally,” she said.
While she learned invaluable skills in both her undergraduate and graduate programs, it was the relationships she formed with faculty and students that made her UT experience whole. She was just about to start her second year when her father died, and she felt herself floundering and unsure of her next steps.
Donahue decided to approach Associate Professor John Haas, who at the time was serving as director of the School of Communication Studies and had been her instructor for an introductory course. She felt they knew her a little bit and she could ask him for advice.
“We were talking through some things, and he said, ‘Do you know right now if you’re going to start classes, or do you need to step back and take a break?’ I said, ‘No, I need to keep going, what am I going to do? And it’s not what my father would want or what I want.’ Some people’s approach might have been handholding, but for him , his approach was OK let’s figure out where you want to spend your time this year, where do you want to grow and invest your time, and not as a distraction but to create some structure,” she said.
That was the beginning of a professional and personal connection between Donahue and Haas that remains strong today. Haas got her to head up the Communication Studies Club and make it the active organization it is today. He encouraged and supported her in pursuing a master’s and their shared interest in organizational communication allowed them to conduct research together as she worked on her thesis. At her wedding, Haas danced the first dance with Donahue, standing in her for her father, whose death was the impetus for that pivotal meeting.
“I know there are a lot of special faculty members across campus, but the way he was able to make an impact and develop relationships with students and make them feel seen,” she said. “I’m just blessed that it’s such a formidable relationship and we’ve been able to continue it now.”
She spent her first year after getting her master’s teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken before she and her husband, Chance Donahue (‘08, ’10), decided to move to Chattanooga in 2012. She had just married Chance, a UT alum who graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and they were weighing where they wanted to live and eventually have a family.
Donahue tapped into connections she had made in Chattanooga while conducting her master’s thesis research and started working in economic development for River City Company as director of marketing and communication. She credited Haas for opening those doors for her, stating that her success in Chattanooga wouldn’t have happened without his invaluable assistance. After eight years in economic development, she stepped away to run a local mayoral campaign before becoming vice president of marketing for an accounting firm, HHM CPAs.
She was on maternity leave from that role after having her first son, Tucker, when the position at UT Chattanooga opened and she’s been working in advancement for the university ever since.
She said her journey has been fulfilling and her degree has allowed her to transfer the same skillset to different sectors where she gets to do “fun and creative work.” As someone who is about to be a mother of two—her second son is due in May—achieving what she has professionally wasn’t without some sacrifices and lots of hard work, which is why Donahue deeply appreciates being a 2025 Volunteer 40 Under 40 honoree.
“Being recognized for the culmination of those choices and those professional hours and those volunteer hours that went in since completing my degrees, it’s been a real honor just to be recognized and to know that the time, effort, commitment and sacrifices, the collection of that is being recognized. It’s really a fulfilling moment and I’m thankful I’ve been able to have the career that I have to date, and a big reason I’ve had the success I’ve had is because of UT,” she said.
Donahue has been giving back to UT in various ways since she graduated, serving on the UT Young Alumni Council and the Chattanooga UT Alumni Chapter. She also gives towards UT scholarships as she credits various financial aid and private scholarships with giving her the means to pursue both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and to graduate without debt. She received one scholarship her junior year from the late former UT President Joseph E. “Joe” Johnson, who she met and built a relationship with, and his spirit of philanthropy also inspires her to support students financially in their academic pursuits.
“Outside of giving back to my alma mater with my time and talents, is how can I give back in my work that I do professionally? When someone finds out I’m an alumna, I want them to see the value in the degree, the skill set I’m able to provide to whatever it is we’re working on, and a lot of that skill and craft happened while at UT,” she said. “I always want to bring my professional A game to continue to increase the value of UT and specifically the communication degree.”
In addition to her volunteer work for UT, Donahue has served on the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce communication committee, was past president of the Lookout Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, served on the Siskin Children’s Institute marketing committee, among several other roles in various civic organizations and nonprofits. She’s also a graduate of Leadership Tennessee NEXT and Leadership Chattanooga.