Leadership in Public Service: How a District Attorney Became a Member of Congress
With Dan Donovan, Eleven Canterbury Consultant and former U.S. Congressman, and host, Dan Martin, Eleven Canterbury Program and Relationship Manager
Summary
What does leadership really look like inside the United States Congress, beyond the sound bites?
In this episode of Conversations With the Experts, Dan Donovan, former U.S. Representative, New York District Attorney, and current Eleven Canterbury Consultant, joins Dan Martin for a candid conversation about going from growing up in a Staten Island tenement to his election to Congress and beyond. The conversation dives into the realities of serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, navigating political divides, and balancing public service with family life.
Donovan reflects on historic moments, including the first time he stepped onto the House floor, a site where landmark pieces of legislation, like the Civil Rights Act, were passed, and shares extraordinary experiences, from private audiences with Pope Francis to flights on Air Force One. He also candidly addresses the frustrations of partisanship, the challenges of the two-year legislative cycle, and the importance of compromise and listening across the aisle.
Beyond politics, Donovan offers insights into life after Congress. He shares how becoming a father reshaped his priorities and how he now leverages decades of public service experience to advise companies, serve on boards, and mentor future leaders. His story is a compelling look at leadership, resilience, and a lifetime career in public service.
Key Takeaways:
- Inside perspective on life as a U.S. Representative and District Attorney
- Leadership lessons learned from navigating political gridlock
- The intersection of personal values, public service, and legacy
- Guidance for transitioning from public office to private sector leadership
Transcript
Dan Martin: It’s not often that you get to talk to someone who’s been in the House of Representatives. Very few people in the country’s history have done that. So, I’m really excited today, we’ll be talking to Dan Donovan, who’s not only been a U.S. Representative from the state of New York, but has had a long career in public service. He was a district attorney working with the Borough President of Staten Island. We’re going to talk about being in Congress, life after Congress, and the transition out of it. Dan, what a cool job. What’s it like being a US Representative? What did you like about that job?
Dan Donovan: You’re absolutely right, Dan. It’s always good to be with you and the people from Eleven Canterbury. In our nation’s nearly 250 years, less than 10,000 Americans have served in Congress, so it truly was an honor. And some of the parts I remember most were stepping onto that House floor for the first time and realizing that our legislators had declared two world wars there. In 1964, we passed the Civil Rights Act on that floor, and I got to sit in one of the seats that those Representatives during that time in our nation’s history made those incredible decisions. And when we’d have late-night votes, I’d walk out of Longworth, which was the building my office was in, and the Capitol was lit up at night. And it was the most amazing sight, Dan. And I’d say to myself, God, please don’t let me ever get used to this. It is just remarkable.
So, it was an incredible honor and a privilege to serve in the House. I served two years under President Obama and the first two years of President Trump’s first term. So I got to see both sides of the administration. Again, it was just a remarkable honor.
As far as what I liked about the job, Dan, the perks are amazing. Pope Francis blessed my baby in a private audience in the Vatican. I flew a half a dozen times on Air Force One with the leader of the free world, eating sliders.
Some of those experiences that Dan Donovan, the only child of a factory worker and a longshoreman, who grew up in a tenement that had three rooms, whose living room became my bedroom at night, whose mom and dad couldn’t afford to send me to a private elementary school. And when I went to an all-boys Catholic high school, they didn’t know how they were gonna pay for it. And here’s their son in the House of Representatives. So, truly the American dream.
As far as the other side of the job, it was very frustrating. I served during a time when our country’s divide was so great, particularly among House members. When they call it sitting on one side of the aisle or the other side of the aisle, there is a deep chasm there, the separation, and it’s unfortunate because the people who suffer are the American public, the people who sent us there to serve them. Very few things get done any longer because of the partisanship. I look back, and I remember in 1986 Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill fought over tax reform, and after they settled their differences and reached a compromise, they sat down in the White House and had a scotch together.
I could tell you one thing, Dan, Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi were never going to sit in the White House and have a scotch together. That divide, when you have some folks who would rather see the people on the other side of the aisle fail than see themselves succeed; it was very disappointing.
There’s a reason, I guess, why we have a majority minority system, but my thought on that is that when you’re in the majority you get 70% and the minority gets 30% because in a two-year cycle, the next go around, you might be in the minority, and it’s become an all or nothing institution. It’s just sad to say.
Dan Martin: You’ve pointed out several of the frustrations of serving; it’s hard to get things done and passed there. I read a book about comparing the British system to the French system, and your thoughts brought that up. In the British system, you didn’t need to have legislators who spent much time thinking about what to do because there was an aisle and the people on one side were good and the people on the other side were bad. And in the French system, you have sort of an arc. The people close to you are pretty good, and the farther away they are, the less good they are. So, you have a lot of thought going on, and nothing will happen. I think what you’ve pointed out is it’s really not good to have us and them.
Dan Donovan: No, and anyone who thinks they’re the only ones with good ideas, obviously, is wrong.
And to think that sometimes, when you’re voting on a piece of legislation, what matters is who’s proposing it rather than what the legislation says. And if it’s someone from the other side, it’s an automatic no vote, even if it’s something that would help your constituents. It’s not a great way to serve the people of our great country.
I hope it changes at some point. Maybe it’s cyclical. Maybe we come around at some point and realize that compromise gets things done. Some folks on the other side of the aisle may have a great idea that helps the people that you represent or helps our nation, and that we should talk, and more importantly, Dan, listen to one another.
Dan Martin: We seem to be better sometimes at talking than listening.
Dan Donovan: Again, unfortunately, yes.
Dan Martin: Some of our adversaries or competitors seem to deal in planning and thinking with a much longer timeframe than we do. We have this two-year cycle. In spite of the fact that we’ve had this two-year cycle and these changes over the last hundred years or so, with the dominant economy and the dominant, both military and economic power. Do you think that’s changing? Do you think there’s anything we need to do differently than we’re doing now to compete with China?
Dan Donovan: Sometimes, Dan, we’re successful despite ourselves. I think America’s still the greatest country in the world, as we said, we’re the worst democracy in the world except for all the others. So, I think we will continue to dominate.
And I really think that people have good intentions. I think people go to Congress with the intention of getting things done. No one wants people to go without healthcare. No one wants children to go without getting the best education they can. I always saw it as people had different ways of getting there or different ideas about how we should achieve those goals, and, again, unfortunately, if your idea is from this side of the House floor, I’m not listening to it. And if it’s from my side, you’re not listening to it. I think again, everyone has great intentions. I think we just have to figure out the process better, and how do we get there?
Now, our Constitution dictates that members of the House serve for two years, and there are no term limitations on that. You see some of the members have been there for decades. The Senate, on the other hand, sits for six years. They also don’t have term limits, but they have a longer period of time. And when they turn over, they turn over a third of the Senate every two years.
So, it is not a complete turnover. In the House, everybody’s up for reelection the same year. And what that causes is, right after your election, you’re campaigning for reelection. You’re spending half your time raising money for your reelection. You’re concerned about your votes because your potential opponents will use those votes against you.
Now, I never let that dictate how I voted, maybe that’s why I’m no longer there. But it’s a system where you legislate for a year, and then you don’t do anything for the following year because everybody’s home campaigning. So, we get half a legislative session every two years. And even that, because of the short period of time, is a cautious one when people propose legislation for a vote.
Dan Martin: You’ve left Congress. What are you doing now? Are you happy with what you’re doing now?
Dan Donovan: I am. I had an incredible experience in May of 2015: I won a special election on a Tuesday because of a vacancy. The following Tuesday, Speaker Boehner swore me in. And the following Tuesday at 58 years old, I had my very first baby. So, three consecutive Tuesdays were amazing, and it changed my life completely.
So, I have a young family. I had 32 years in government, including those four years in Congress. I had 28 years before that serving, as you said before, I was a District Attorney, one of the five DAs in New York City for 12 years. I was an Assistant District Attorney for Bob Morgenthau in Manhattan. I was Deputy Chief of Narcotics there, and then I served as Deputy Borough President, and as Deputy Executive for our county for a couple of years.
So, having a young family, coming home, and having sacrificed financially, for the first time in my life, I need to make a couple of bucks. So, I’m sitting on a couple of boards, one in the maritime business, one in a security business. I’m doing advisory work for a number of companies, and it pays the bills and hopefully pays for college as well.
Dan Martin: You’ve got wonderful memories, great experiences, and living a happy life. There’s nothing more fun than watching young children, especially your children or your grandchildren, grow.
Dan Donovan: I’ve been called Deputy Borough President. I’ve been called Mr. DA. I’ve been called Congressman. The best thing I’ve been called is Daddy.
Dan Martin: Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for your time. I’ve really enjoyed speaking with you, Dan. And, you also have a wonderful first name!
Dan Donovan: Changed it just for the show.
Dan Martin: Thank you very much, Dan.
Dan Donovan: Good to be with you as well.
Dan Donovan is an Eleven Canterbury Consultant. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Staten Island and Brooklyn, New York, for four years. Prior to that, he served as a District Attorney, Deputy Borough President, and Deputy Bureau Chief in the NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutors’ Office.
Dan is one of over 3,000 leaders in the Eleven Canterbury network available to serve as an expert witness, interim leader, or strategic advisor.
Dan Martin is the Program and Relationship Manager at Eleven Canterbury and host of the video series, Conversations With the Experts and Chapter Two: Creating New Beginnings.
To learn more, contact clientservices@elevencanterbury.com
