Starting in November 2016 Joe Donovan accepted a position as Division Director/Bureau Manager for The Entrepreneur Center @ Mississippi Development Authority. Donovan’s primary responsibility is to re-organize The Entrepreneur Center, develop an environment that ‘raises entrepreneurs’ and build an entrepreneurial eco-system to attract start-up businesses to Mississippi.Joe Donovan has been best described by the Mississippi Business Journal as a “serial entrepreneur.” He is currently the principle at The Donovan Consulting Group, (DCG). The DCG focuses on business development including startups, business development plans, business restructuring, re-branding, growth and expansion along with M&A. DCG has a significant practice in strategic planning with clients ranging from State agencies, Universities, hospitals, large nonprofits, and refocusing for profit businesses.
As the first Director of Entrepreneurial Development at Millsaps College, Else School of Management he was responsible for development, implementation and coordination of a new core focus on entrepreneurship within the Undergraduate and Graduate business programs at Millsaps College. This program; the ELSEWorks Entrepreneurial Initiative includes intensive student involvement focusing on the four key areas of academic concentration curriculum, product commercialization, business development and social entrepreneurship. Mr. Donovan has remained on faculty within the Else School of Management teaching in management, entrepreneurial development, and entrepreneurial investments.
From June 2011 through December 2015, Mr. Donovan served as the Executive Director of the MS Center for Non Profits. During his time with the Center he led the restructuring, relocation and refocusing of the organization to better meet the changing needs of the nonprofit sector.
Mr. Donovan was co-founder of three companies that made up Allan Holdings – Pro Derma LLC (2002), Pharma Pac, LLC (2003) and Allan Pharmaceutical (2004). From March 2002 to September 2010, Mr. Donovan served Allan Holdings LLC and related companies as Vice President and CFO where he was responsible for overseeing financial operations including initial corporate set up and raising capital from both governmental agencies and traditional lenders. While in this position, Mr. Donovan raised funds in excess of $6,000,000 from grants and governmental loans. He also oversaw the financing and construction of four facilities. Allan Holdings and related companies were sold in 2010; at the time, sales exceeded $35 million.
From 1992 through 1998, Mr. Donovan served as Divisional CEO for American Medical Response and Laidlaw International. In this capacity, Mr. Donovan directed all operations, finance, information systems, business/product development and mergers and acquisitions for a multi-state area with gross sales of $142 million and 1,200 personnel.
Mr. Donovan earned his B.B.A. from Thomas More College and Xavier University along with his M.B.A. from Millsaps College.
