President-Elect

Donna L. Governor, Ph.D., is president-elect of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). She began serving her one-year term on June 1, 2025. She currently is a professor of science education in the Department of Middle Grades, Science and Secondary Education at the University of North Georgia where she has been since 2016.

Governor was a classroom teacher for more than 32 years. From 2002 to 2016, she taught science to middle level and high school students in the Forsyth County Schools District in Cumming, Georgia. During 1984 –2001, she taught elementary students and gifted middle school students in the Escambia County Schools District in Pensacola, Florida.  

Her educational background includes earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in early childhood education, and an education specialist degree in curriculum and instruction/instructional technology from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida. In 2011, she earned a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. She is certified in AP Environmental Science and holds a Qualitative Studies Graduate Level Certification and Instructor Certification in Extended Reality (Edstutia) and Using XR technologies (including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality).

Governor has held numerous leadership and service positions in a range of organizations, including the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (Strand Co-Coordinator for its 2021 Conference), and the Association of Presidential Awardees in Science Education (Secretary, 2016–2019). She held several leadership positions with the Georgia Science Teachers Association during 2010–2016, including serving as President and Conference Chair.

She has devoted many years of service to NSTA, including on the NSTA Board of Directors as Division Director for the Preservice Teacher Preparation Division (2020–2023), as the NSTA Liaison to the Association of Science Teacher Education’s Board of Directors (2020–2023), and on the NSTA Council as District V Director (2013–2016). She worked on the NSTA Nominations Committee in 2023 and on the NSTA Research Committee during 2024–2025.

Among the many awards and honors Governor has received are the Fieldale Scholar Award from the University of North Georgia, College of Education (2021); the David P. Butts Distinguished Alumni Award, Science Education/College of Education, from the University of Georgia (2019); the Georgia Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (2014); and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching (Georgia; 2007).

In 2016, Governor founded the Dahlonega Science Café and served as its host until her relocation in 2022. Under her leadership, the café grew into a vibrant community science festival that ran successfully for several years prior to the pandemic.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Governor cherishes time with her young granddaughters, who enjoy swimming, playing, trips to Disney, and STEM-related activities. A creative at heart, she occasionally dusts off her sewing machine to craft quilts or create fun cosplay outfits. She’s also an avid science fiction fan and enjoys spending time at the beach.