Born as Donna Marie Kolnick in Cleveland, Ohio. Married to Raymond Pope October 21, 1951. They had two daughters.

She served in the Ohio House of Representatives for six terms. She was co-chairman of the 1980 election campaign for Reagan in Ohio. She was a delegate to the 1984 Republican party convention. She was appointed Director of the Mint and began her service September 10, 1981. Her second term expired in 1991. She received the ANA Outstanding Government Service Award in 1991. Later in 1991 she was appointed director of marketing for the International Olympic Committee Centennial Coin Program. In 1993 she was named a special consultant for PandaAmerica. Later in 1993 she was selected to be director of the Ohio Student Aid Commission.

Pope appears on a mint medal (USM 322) as one of the series for Directors of the Mint. The obverse was by Edgar Steever and reverse by Michael Iacocco. The medal was first issued in 1983.

She died at home in Colorado.

bio: WWA 88; WWAmPol 91; WWAW 91-92; WWF&I 92

obit: E-Sylum 7/9/23