| John Joseph Donovan | |
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John J. Donovan |
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| Born | February 12, 1942 Lynn, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Tufts University Yale University Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Professor at MIT (Retired) |
| Known for | Entrepreneurship, Information technology, Philanthropy |
| Net worth | $100 million USD (2005) |
| Spouse | Linda Donovan |
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| Website | |
| Professor John J. Donovan | |
John J. Donovan (born 1942) is a retired professor of electrical engineering and management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology,[1] was a professor of pediatrics[2] at Tufts University, and is an executive training guru. Donovan made headlines in 2007 when he was convicted of filing a false police report. Prosecutors produced evidence that Donovan staged an elaborate hoax—which included shooting himself in the stomach and then blaming the shooting on his eldest son.[3] In August 2010, a judge denied Donovan's motion for a new trial.[4] In September, Donovan announced that he has formed a partnership with The Andrews Institute and Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, Florida. In his press release, Donovan says Harvard Medical School Professor and Economist Thomas McGuire will undertake research regarding the medical work at the Andrews Institute.[5] he is researching medical fraud.[6] He is a member of Hamilton Thorne's Scientific Advisory Board.[7] Since his MIT retirement, he has become a successful entrepreneur, founding many technology companies and amassing an estimated fortune of $100 million. He has co-founded seven public companies, including Cambridge Technology Partners, Open Environment Corporation. He developed innovative solutions for some 200 institutions, including Oracle,[8] Boeing, AA, Aegon, BP, IBM, HP, Samsung, SAP.[9][10]
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John J.Donovan was born in Lynn, MA, to John J. Sr. and Madeline Donovan. John J. Sr. was an elementary school teacher, and part-time police officer. Madeline was a social worker.
Donovan attended Lynn English High School. He received his bachelor's degree in engineering from Tufts University. He holds two masters degrees - one in engineering and one in science, and a PhD - all from Yale University.[11] He was a Ford Postdoctoral Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[11][12]
Donovan received his tenure at MIT in 1977,[13] at the time being one of the youngest tenured professors. He received the Student Teaching Award three years in a row (1970–72), and David A. Schultz Award for Excellence in Teaching (1969).[14] He was a professor at MIT for 31 years before retiring.[1]
He authored seminal text books in computer science, including Systems Programming[15] and Operating Systems,[16] and his research focused on early work in operating systems, databases, and later applications of IT to business. He has also wrote popular business books such as Business Re-engineering with Information Technology[17] and Business & Technology: A Paradigm Shift.[18] Donovan and his son John Jr. co-authored The Second Industrial Revolution.[19][20]
Donovan also served as an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. He received two awards for his work at the Center for Birth Defects.[21][22] Donovan lectured on Strategic Computing in Government while at Harvard University.[23]
Donovan served on National Academy of Sciences Advisory Committee on Technology reporting to President Jimmy Carter. Donovan worked with President George H. W. Bush's administration on the impact of the internet and applications sponsored by DARPA.
Donovan[24] worked with the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers to develop Joint Protection Enterprise Network (JPEN),[25] a system developed in response to 9/11 attack.
Donovan worked with Tip O'Neill and Ted Kennedy on birth defect legislature, based on Donovan's work at Tufts University School of Medicine Birth Defects Center.[26][27][28][29]
Currently, Donovan is working with The Andrews Institute and Baptist health Care of Pensacola as part of his techology company Cloud Industries.[30] Donovan announced the partnership with Dr James Andrews of the Andrews Institute and Al Stubblefield, CEO of Baptist Health Care Pensacola.[31] Donovan started his business career by providing technical training for AT&T[32][33] computer business personnel. Later courses shifted towards sales and strategy training to executives.[8] This led to Donovan devising a method of helping companies meet their customers' needs through workshops. Key sponsors and partners of those workshops were British Telecom, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, IBM, Digital Equipment Corporation, SAP.
These workshops were the origin of many companies, including: Cambridge Technology Group,[34][35][36][37] Business@Web[10][38][39](which later was renamed One Wave[40]), Open Environment Corporation,[41] Cambridge Technology Partners,[42] Cambridge Executive Enterprises, Cambridge Technology Enterprises, C-Bridge[43][44][45] and CellExchange.[46]
Donovan also had his share of disappointments. One of the companies he co-founded, Knoware, despite winning several awards,[47] ran out of venture money and had to file for bankruptcy.[37][48] He sold Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) for only $20 million, and CTP's market capitalization soon jumped to $1.3 billion.[37] He sold his share in Mitrol for "very little",[37] to see Mitrol soon after be sold to GE for $10 million.[37]
Donovan has done a lot of charity work personally and through the companies[49] that he established. He and his son John Jr. established scholarships at Yale University.[50] Donovan and Jay-Yong Lee established a scholarship at Boston University in Donovan father's name.[51] He and his son John J. Donovan Jr. have donated the use of athletic fields to the town of Hamilton, MA.[52] Donovan made major contributions to Education Outbound,[53] a public charity founded by his son John.[54] In 2009 Donovan was recognized by the Essex County Trail Association for his land conservation work.[55][56][57][58] Donovan has also done land conservation work in Vermont.[6]
Through his charitable organization Children’s Potential Unlimited[59] he donated computers to Connery Elementary School in Lynn, MA.
While at MIT Donovan had also donated his time to teaching at Lowell Institute.[60]
Donovan was honored by congressman Harold Ford[61] for contributions to the field of information technology. Donovan was appointed Kentucky Colonel[62] and New Mexico Colonel, Aide-de-Camp[63] for IT and charity work. Donovan was honored by Senator John Glenn for contribution to birth defects information systems and advancing the development of technology.[64] Donovan holds Honorary Doctorate of Economics from University of Economics, Prague,[65][66] first doctorate in economics since the invasion of Czechoslovakia.
On August 17, 2007 John J. Donovan was convicted of staging an elaborate hoax which included shooting himself in the stomach—as part of a bizarre attempt to accuse his oldest son of being involved in a plot to kill him. Prosecutors say John Donovan's lied to them and the police. They called his actions a "corruption" of the criminal justice system. The judge called John Donovan "bizzare." Donovan was sentenced to two years' probation.[67] Donovan was shot twice in the stomach in the parking lot of his office in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the night of December 16, 2005.[68] After being released from the hospital he told police that he suspected that his son had arranged the shooting. In May 2006 he was indicted for filing a false police report about the incident,[69] and in August 2007 he was convicted of the charge.[70] After a long appeal, in August 2010 the trial judge denied Donovan's motion for a new trial saying there were no grounds to retry the case. His lawyers have announced they will take the case to appeals court.[71]
Donovan is married to Linda Donovan. He has five children. He works closely with his youngest son, John Donovan, Jr.
One of his three daughters accused him of child molestation in 2002; the abuse purportedly took place 40 years ago. Donovan has consistently denied that there was any abuse of any kind. A spokesman for Donovan has said that she made the accusations to gain leverage in a financial dispute. In addition, several legal battles have been waged with four of his five children over claims to his fortune and real estate holdings.[72] His youngest son, John Donovan Jr., has acted as a peacemaker in the family dispute.[73]
