Donna Dufresne is an educator, writer, and historian from the “Quiet Corner” of CT. She is a member of the Windham/Willimantic NAACP and currently involved in several research projects to educate students and adults about the rich and diverse understory of local history. Her research and writing has helped to shed light on the soldiers of the CT 29 th Colored Regiment in Windham County who were of African and Nipmuc descent, and some of their ancestors who were enslaved in the region during the 18th century.

Ms. Dufresne has worked with the Wyndham Land Trust to install a memorial stone for the enslaved Africans buried in the Randall/Higginbotham Cemetery in Pomfret. Ms. Dufresne is a retired teacher with over 32 years of experience including the directorship of an environmental education program. Her master’s degree is in Gifted Education. She has written and performed several one-woman shows including Prudence Crandall, Rachel Carson, which were presented throughout Connecticut and New England.

As a community activist, Ms. Dufresne serves on the boards of Abington Social Library and Pomfret Historical Society, the education committee of NAACP, and is chair of the Pomfret 250th Commission.