Donna S. Baker Meeting Room

At a special dedication ceremony on Dec. 13, 2022, the Board of Commissioners meeting room in the Whitted Human Services Building was renamed the Donna S. Baker Meeting Room. Baker served as Clerk to the Board of Commissioners from June, 2002, until her untimely death on July 31, 2020.

"Donna was such a special person," said Commissioner Renee Price. "She took care of us in such a way that made us feel special. She made sure we had everything we needed. We really miss her. I'm so pleased we can name this room in her honor."

"Her heart was with this county, and her heart was with this Board," said Vice Chair Earl McKee, the longest-serving member of the Board of Commissioners. "She loved this board, and we all loved her. Naming this is a great honor for her and quite appropriate."

Baker attended high school in South Carolina and was a 1978 graduate of Clemson University. Before coming to Orange County, she worked for Georgetown County, S.C.

Former Commissioner Barry Jacobs, who was on the Board when it hired Baker in 2002, noted how Baker was so proud of her children. "She was very supportive and very generous, and she was also the fastest-speaking Southern I've ever met," he said. "We were blessed to have her work here as long as she did. She was close to perfect as you could come to have somebody in that position."