Donchak Selected as OCTA Board Chairman

San Clemente City Councilmember Lori Donchak was unanimously selected Jan. 11, as the new chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors.

Donchak served as the OCTA board’s vice chairman for the last year. She replaces outgoing Chairman Jeff Lalloway, also an Irvine City councilman, who remains on the board.

“It’s an honor to be chosen by my peers to lead an agency that is vital to ensuring quality of life for the people of Orange County,” Donchak said. “It’s a privilege to work with my colleagues to continue efforts to improve transportation for residents and businesses in all corners of the county.”  

Donchak is a mother of two, wife, businesswoman and retired teacher, who has served on the San Clemente City Council since 2006. She has served on the OCTA board since 2013.

Committed to solving transportation needs in and around San Clemente, Donchak founded the San Clemente Mobility Task Force and serves on that city’s railroad safety/quiet zone task force.

Donchak graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and education. She then received her master’s degree from Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She worked as a business executive in the communications industry for 20 years, then went on to teach for 10 years at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano before retiring.

Replacing Donchak as vice chairman is Director Michael Hennessey, who is the principal of his own real-estate development and consulting firm and serves on the board as a public member. He joined the OCTA board in 2011.