Donna S. Kline

Donna S. Kline earned her Master’s Degree in Music at SF State under the mentorship of Professor William Corbett-Jones. His teachings inspired Donna to pursue outstanding educational opportunities and experiences. This training has given Ms. Kline far reaching and lasting benefits as a musician and author.

The Donna S. Kline Scholarship Endowment in Creative Arts In Memory of Joanne Rae Kline was established to help strengthen and permanently support the Music Department at San Francisco State University. It is her intent this scholarship will provide financial assistance to a junior, senior, or graduate student enrolled in music classes as a major or minor at SF State, and give a motivated and focused music student these same opportunities.

The Sylvan and Donna Kline Guardian Scholars Scholarship Endowment in Memory of Joanne Rae Kline was established to strengthen and permanently support SF State’s Guardian Scholars Program, with its unique mission and purpose of supporting the needs of college-bound students who are transitioning out of the foster care system. The Klines want to help ensure the future success of the program and permanently support its goals of graduating and empowering foster youth to become self-supporting adults, conscious community leaders, role models and competent professionals in their fields of interest.

Both of these awards were created to honor the memory of Joanne Rae Kline, the daughter of Sylvan and Donna Kline, who empowered others through her advocacy of education. Joanne chose a career path that taught others to believe in themselves, and to reach for higher goals through education. The US Department of Health and Human Services contracted the educational software company Leapfrog Incorporated, to produce an educational book teaching basic healthcare practices to Afghani woman. Leapfrog asked Joanne to lead the project as an Executive Producer for the company, and accompanied her employer in Washington DC to present the project. Fluent in Spanish, Joanne’s quest also led her to serve in Bolivia, where she taught local teachers under the auspices of Save the Children Foundation to use computers more effectively. Joanne Rae Kline’s life embodied the spirit of empowerment and generosity to others which parallels the spirit embodied in the creation of the Donna S. Kline Scholarship Endowment in Creative Arts and the Sylvan and Donna Kline Guardian Scholars Scholarship Endowment in her memory.