Louisville Business First named Bellarmine University's president, Dr. Susan M. Donovan, as one of the city's most admired CEOs during an awards banquet on Wednesday.
Donovan was one of 25 local CEOs - and one of 5 nonprofit organization leaders - to receive the honor.
In an
interview with Business First, Donovan called leading Bellarmine her dream job, and said her biggest career turning
point was "taking the presidency at Bellarmine University because I felt called to lead and to serve."
Donovan was appointed as Bellarmine's fourth president in 2017 after a 32-year career at Loyola University Maryland that culminated in her 2011 appointment as executive vice president, along with a term as Loyola’s acting president in 2015.
She told Business First that her top three recent accomplishments were:
"My recipe for success is leading an organization that shares my values of trust, commitment, transparency, hard work, wholistic education, and a sense of humor," she told the newspaper.
Bellarmine trustee Russell Cox, Norton Healthcare's president and CEO,
was also honored as one of the city's most admired CEOs.
Read Donovan's
full profile for the Most Admired CEOs program, which requires a Business First subscription.