In June 2019, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors elected Maura Donahue for a second term as Chairman.
Donahue, who also serves as the Executive Vice President of DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc. and President of DonahueFavret Contractors Holding Company, first served as the Chair of the USCC in 2005-2006, extending her already notable track record as a leader in local chambers and economic development organizations. She has formerly served as chair of the Board for the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) and chair for GNO, Inc., along with several other volunteer positions.
Donahue spoke with REGION about her main objectives as she moves into her second term with the USCC, as well as her hopes for future prosperity in the Greater New Orleans area.
Q: What policies will you pursue during your second term with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce?
Some of my goals involve fine tuning the USCC internally. Specifically, to ensure that the leadership pipeline for the USCC is strategic, to continue to strengthen our corporate governance, and to restore our historic facade to the headquarters.
Top on my list outside of D.C. is to modernize and maintain our U.S. infrastructure. It’s too late to assume a gas tax will take care of our needs with the onset of electric vehicles. This is an issue we should be able to solve in that both sides of the aisle see the need for a comprehensive solution.
Legal reform remains a priority for me. With an aggressive trial bar and a climate of abusive litigation in this country, it becomes increasingly difficult to protect ourselves. One frivolous lawsuit can force small businesses to close down for good.
And workforce development. We have a two-gap workforce challenge. One is a skills gap, and the other is a people gap, with either no skilled workers or no workers at all. GNOu is tackling that problem successfully in our region.
Q: What are your primary objectives as Chair?
To highlight the role small businesses play in the economy of our country. A majority of the companies in our country are small businesses. As such, we do not have time to be engaged on the local, state and national level with legislation that is being considered that affects our ability to open our doors every single day. Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘When the legislature is in session, no man, woman or child are safe.’ We need to rely on our membership in the state, local and national chamber and economic development organizations to be our voice in our absence.
Besides working for the good of our free enterprise system and capitalism, which will both be under attack next year in the election cycle, I will seize the opportunity to promote our state and our businesses as often as possible.
Q: Why was it important for you to return for a second term?
I served as the first female chairman of the board of the USCC from June 2005 to June 2006. That was an amazing honor which was interrupted by Hurricane Katrina. The timing of my chairmanship during Katrina allowed me to use the microphone to promote interest and investment in the region. To have a second opportunity to serve as chair is just unbelievable, sort of a validation of a job well done.
Q: What untapped economic potential do you see in New Orleans?
New Orleans is in the Top 10 list of everything good, and not just in tourism! Startup companies, IT companies…Millennials have a great opportunity to be successful in a city with a reasonable cost of living, recreation and business climate.
Q: Has your involvement with local economic alliances helped you fulfill your main goals? My GNO, Inc. experiences, my experiences with the USCC and LABI work hand in hand. Promoting economic development on the local, state, and national level benefits all of us.
