Donovan was born in High River and calls the hamlet of Mossleigh home. A graduate of Senator Riley high school, he has operated a grain farm in Mossleigh for 20 years. In addition to his running his farm, he is a long-time member and former director of the Blackie Seed Cleaning Association. Donovan is an active member of his community, having been involved with the Lions Club of Mossleigh and Community Futures Highwood, a nonprofit community-owned business development organization, for the past 15 years. He also served as councillor for division 9 of Vulcan County from 1995 until his election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Donovan was appointed to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on May 24, 2012. He was appointed to the Standing Committee on Alberta's Economic Future on May 28, 2012.
Political career
Donovan started on Vulcan County council at the age of 19. During his 16 years on council he was reeve for two years, chair of public works, agriculture service board, and was on the planning commission. Other boards he was involved with was Blackie and district seed cleaning co-op, Community Futures Highwood, South grow, Vulcan business Development board, Northwest Fire protection association, and the Mossleigh Lions Club. Donovan ran for a seat to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 2012 Alberta general election.> Donovan won the general election defeating three other candidates with over half the popular vote. Premier Alison Redford credited Donovan persuading her to allow the Canadian Taxpayers Federation into the pre-budget release lockup, where journalists and stakeholders receive embargoed copies of the budget prior to being released to the public, after he sent the Premier a hand written note in the legislative assembly. Wildrose had previously offered to bring the CTF on a $1 day long contract to the lockup before Redford's decision to allow the group to attend. On November 24, 2014, Donovan left the Wildrose Party and "crossed the floor" of the Alberta Legislature to join the governing Alberta Progressive Conservative Party caucus. The move was interpreted by the media in the context of the recent election of Jim Prentice as Alberta PC leader, the loss by Wildrose of four recent byelections, and controversy over the handling of an equality rights resolution at the Wildrose Party's recent convention. On February 8, 2015, Donovan was acclaimed the candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party for the constituency of Little Bow in the next provincial election when no one else offered to challenge him for the nomination.
