Joe Donovan recently retired as the Division Director of the Office of Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, Mississippi Development Authority. The Office focuses on developing an environment that ‘raises entrepreneurs’ and building an entrepreneurial eco-system targeting next-generation technologies. Specifically, developing the MS economy through technology-based economic development. Donovan has been best described by the Mississippi Business Journal as a “serial entrepreneur”.
Joe’s primary focus has been operations-based, including production, non-profit operations, company structure, and internal functions. He has developed strategic plans for profit, academic, and non-profit organizations. One of his primary fortes is “hands-on” organizational redevelopment, including financial, operational, and personal redevelopment.
Prior to MDA, he was the principal at The Donovan Consulting Group (DCG). The DCG
Focused on business development, including startups, business development plans, business restructuring, rebranding, growth and expansion, along with M&A.
As the founding Director of Entrepreneurial Development and full-time faculty member at Millsaps College’s Else School of Management, Donovan coordinated a new core focus on entrepreneurship within the Undergraduate and Graduate business programs.
Donovan has forty years of progressive senior management experience, serving the last 30 years as a Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and CFO/Vice President of Finance for three multi-state organizations with gross sales exceeding $165 million annually.
Additionally, the Ohio native was the co-founder of three pharmaceutical manufacturing companies that made up Allan Holdings – Pro Derma LLC (2002), Pharma Pac, LLC (2003), and Allan Pharmaceutical (2004). From March 2002 to September 2010, Donovan served Allan Holdings LLC and related companies as Vice President and CFO. They sold the companies when sales reached 100M.
Donovan earned undergraduate degrees in Business Administration from Thomas More College and Xavier University, along with his MBA from Millsaps College.
Joe and his wife Patricia have six children and thirteen grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys golf, traveling, fishing, gardening, and playing with his grandchildren.
