Major General Donovan assumed command of Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California on 1 July 2004.

Major General Donovan joined the U.S. Marine Corps in June 1971 following his graduation from the University of Oklahoma. Commissioned in 1972, he completed The Basic School, Tank Officer School, followed by tours in 1st Tank and 1st Service Battalions, 1st Marine Division from 1973-75. Assigned to Okinawa, Japan he served with 3d Tank and 1st Tracked Vehicle Battalions, 3d Marine Division during 1975-76. Promoted to Captain in November 1976, Major General Donovan assumed command of Company B, in the reactivated 3d Tank Battalion at Twenty-nine Palms, California, in January 1977. He later served as the Battalion's Assistant Operations Officer in 1979.

Upon graduation from Amphibious Warfare School in May 1980, he was a Tactics Instructor, Advanced Tactics Division, at the U.S. Army Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Promoted to Major in June 1982, he was reassigned in December 1983 as Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, Naval Air Station, Alameda, California. After graduating from Marine Corps Command and Staff College in June 1988, Major General Donovan was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assigned duties as Contingency Plans Officer, Assistant Chief of Staff, C-5, United Nations Command and ROK/US Combined Forces Command, Seoul, Korea.

Reporting on 1 August 1990 to 7th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Twenty-nine Palms, California, he initially was the Brigade's Plans Officer for the deployment to South West Asia for Operation Desert Shield. In October he became the lead operational planner for I Marine Expeditionary Force's offensive for Operation Desert Storm. Following the Gulf War, Major General Donovan commanded two M1A1 Tank Battalions; 3d Tank Battalion from May 1991 until June 1992 and 1st Tank Battalion from June 1992 until June 1993. After graduating from the Marine Corps War College in June 1994, he was promoted to Colonel and served as the Dean of Academics, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University until June 1996. Major General Donovan was briefly assigned to G -3, II Marine Expeditionary Force/Marine Forces, Atlantic, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina before returning to Quantico in May 1997 to serve as Director, Marine Air Ground Task Force Staff Training Program.

Promoted to the Brigadier General in October 1998, Major General Donovan's initial General Officer assignments were as Commanding General, Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, Quantico and Vice Chief of Naval Research, Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia. In June 2000, he returned to Okinawa, Japan assuming duties as Commanding General, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and Deputy Commanding General, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Major General Donovan served as Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea and as Assistant Chief of Staff, C/J-5, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea from April 11, 2001 to June 15, 2004.

Major General Donovan's personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Gold Stars in lieu of second and third awards, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Republic of Korea Chonsu Medal.