ORONO – Donna Thornton, director of alumni operations at the University of Maine Alumni Association, has been elected to the National Educational Alumni Trust Executive Committee.

The NEA Trust was established in 1972 to create a means for distributing insurance products to alumni association members. Thornton is one of eight members of the executive committee, which meets twice a year.

Thornton has been with the UM Alumni Association since 1999. She received a bachelor’s degree in 1978 and a master’s in 1979 from UM. A Presque Isle native and former Brewer mayor, Thornton serves as vice chairwoman of the Eastern Maine Development Corp. board of directors.