Anne McDonald attended Le Moyne College, completing a degree in economics, before pursuing a master's of science in education at Syracuse University.
She taught sixth grade in Syracuse and Ardsley before moving to Stamford, Connecticut.
McDonald and her husband Alex raised their son Andrew in Stamford.
She also served on municipal and state boards for housing, aging, and numerous other issues before winning her first election to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1990.
[1] McDonald served state house district 145 as a Democrat until 2003, when she stepped down to seek treatment for cancer.