Entering his 22nd season in the National Football League and his 12th season in Kansas City in 2020, Mark Donovan was named the fifth president in Chiefs history in January 2011 after serving two years as the club's chief operating officer. As president, Donovan is responsible for all aspects of the club's business operations and reports directly to Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt.
Donovan brings unique experience and perspective to the team. He is one of only a few executives league-wide who has worked both at the NFL league office and for a club, with valuable perspective and strong relationships both in the Kansas City area and on a national level.
Building on the direction of the Hunt family and Founder Lamar Hunt, Donovan has led the focus on the Chiefs fan experience. The team has emerged as a league leader in fan engagement by introducing technology-based solutions and celebrating the traditions and fan rituals that make Arrowhead Stadium special.
After introducing ticketless technology in 2012-13, and expanding to mobile ticketing for the 2015 season, the club moved to an all-digital ticketing platform in 2018, focusing on efficiency and security for all ticketholders. Nearly 80% of fans now enter Arrowhead via their mobile device. This allows fans to manage their accounts and tickets from their phones while having access to membership benefits such as exclusive content and a points-based rewards program.
Donovan has consistently focused on expanding the multi-media presence of the Chiefs. Kansas City's award-winning production group, 65 Toss Power Trap Productions, has continued a trend of content expansion on the Chiefs website, mobile app, social platforms and digital channels. In 2019, the club debuted The Franchise, a multi-episode digital content series taking fans behind the scenes during the team's Super Bowl season.
In addition to connecting Chiefs fans to the team they love, Donovan has overseen a period of tremendous business growth, re-establishing Arrowhead Stadium as a popular venue for sports and entertainment. He serves as the President of Arrowhead Events, LLC, the special events arm of the Kansas City Chiefs. Arrowhead Events has seen exponential growth over the past decade, bringing several major events to Kansas City. The city of Kansas City, along with support from the Chiefs, was awarded the 2023 NFL Draft through a bid process that was announced prior to the 2019 NFL season. In addition, the Chiefs, alongside a number of local business and civic leaders, are also in the bid process to bring 2026 FIFA World Cup matches to Kansas City, with Arrowhead Stadium serving as the proposed match site.
In his time in Kansas City, Donovan has also created a new approach to sponsorships, setting a strategy to partner with companies which share the vision, qualities and values of the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2017, the Chiefs were recognized by the Kansas City Business Journal as a Champion of Business for leadership within industry, innovation and commitment to giving back to the community.
Locally, the Chiefs continue to be a major economic leader in the Kansas City community. Chiefs games and other events at Arrowhead Stadium generate more than $625 million annually, including $273 million in household income. They also support nearly 6,000 jobs and provide $17 million in annual tax revenue for the State of Missouri. In February 2020, the Chiefs announced a new three-year agreement with Missouri Western State University that will keep St. Joseph, Missouri, the home of Chiefs Training Camp through the summer of 2022. Since training camp moved to St. Joseph in 2010 more than 330,000 people have seen the Chiefs practice at Missouri Western State University.
His leadership extends to the community, where he has initiated a more strategic approach to the Chiefs charitable giving and community involvement, allowing the team to focus resources for greater impact to the community. This approach has identified a handful of causes: feeding the hungry in the region, children's health and wellness initiatives and providing support for families and children in crisis. The Chiefs Charity Game, one of the many Kansas City traditions started by the Hunt family, is the longest-running and most successful charity game in the National Football League.
Donovan and his wife Kathy are also personally committed to the community, serving in numerous civic and charitable leadership roles, including two terms as the inaugural Board Chair for City Year Kansas City beginning in 2016. For his support of City Year, AmeriCorps and the national service community, he was awarded the Citizen Service Award by Voices for National Service in February of 2019. The couple has chaired events for Harvesters – The Community Food Network, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, City Year and the American Jazz Walk of Fame.
Donovan arrived in Kansas City after six years with the Philadelphia Eagles as Senior Vice President of Business Operations (2003-08).Prior to joining the Eagles, Donovan held leadership roles as the NFL's Senior Director of Sales and Marketing (1999-2003) and the Director of Sales and Marketing for the National Hockey League (1997-99). He also brings seven years of experience in the private business sector.
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native, graduated from Brown University with a double major in political science and organizational behavior/management. He captained the Brown football squad as the team's quarterback and signed with the New York Giants as a free agent upon graduation.
He and his wife, Kathy, have two children and reside in Kansas City.
