While buying her first house as a young woman, Donna Dalton-Hurst had an experience that completely changed the direction of her life. The realtor at the time seemed to think it was “not necessary to speak to the younger wife,” Donna says. “At the closing I knew some things were not right and we were being taken.” She walked away from the table – without closing – and started doing her homework. When she went back to the closing table, the interest rate had come down considerably and the closing fees (that they were not supposed to pay with a VA loan) were gone.

Even though Donna had just graduated from college with a degree in law and criminology, she didn’t want what happened to her to happen to others, and she went to work for a bank. She moved through the ranks quickly and eventually landed in mortgage full-time. Nearly 25 years later, Donna remains committed to her belief that “people should be educated about mortgages, not taken.” Which is why she works with so many programs locally and statewide such as the Tampa Bay Community Development Corporation and St. Petersburg’s W.I.N., both programs to help lower income people buy houses.

Donna’s family moved from New York City to Miami when Donna was 12. She came to St. Pete with her husband and kids in 1996, after weathering Hurricane Andrew and seeing dramatic changes in their neighborhood. Donna and her three daughters – ages 23, 18 and 13 – and her “wonderful” husband whom she has known since she was 17, are avid football fans – still rooting for the Miami Dolphins – and NASCAR fans. The family tries to visit a different racing track each year on vacation.