As the Director of Policy & Outreach at Penn State’s Administrative Data Accelerator, Michael Donovan leads policy operations and facilitates collaborative projects between government partners and researchers to support the utilization of scholarly research in evidence-based policymaking.
At the Data Accelerator, Donovan contributes to the foundational goal of promoting the use of social science research in government policymaking, particularly through the use of administrative data from various sources and levels of government. Donovan works to improve the translation and dissemination of social science research to outside audiences, including various policy communities (state, federal and local), other academics and the general public.
In particular, Donovan supports initiatives like the PA Integrated Data System (IDS), seeking to utilize data from the PA Commonwealth to gain insights through data linkages and analysis. Another notable example includes his efforts on a collaborative, cross-domain project prepared for the PA Office of Attorney General regarding the estimation of societal costs to states as a result of the opioid epidemic.
Donovan collaborates with SSRI and the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) to support interdisciplinary and translational research collaborations aiming to address the opioid crisis and the larger problems of substance abuse. This work is done in close consultation with policymakers to be both responsive to their needs and to maximize translation from academic research into real-world policy solutions.
Donovan utilizes his background in policy, government, and academia in this work. Prior to joining Penn State, Donovan served in the federal government for nearly a decade at the White House during both Obama Administrations. During this time, he served in a commissioned officer role as Special Assistant to the President in the Office of Scheduling and Advance, where he coordinated the planning and execution of the administration's strategic agenda. He began his political career on the campaign trail in early 2007.
To prepare him for his work in both the political and academic realms, Donovan earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science here at Penn State. During his tenure at the White House, he continued his education at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service with a master’s degree in National Security Policy Studies.
Donovan returned to his alma mater in order to both grow intellectually and professionally, as well as to contribute to work seeking to impact and improve lives.