Steve Donnelly

About Steve Donnelly

Executive People and Operations leader with 20+ years of experience scaling high-growth, VC- and PE-backed companies through rapid growth, acquisition, and transformation. I partner with founders, boards, and investors to build People and operating infrastructure that supports scale, performance, and durable culture.I have served as Chief People Officer, SVP of People, and fractional CPO/COO across SaaS, eCommerce, hospitality, healthcare, and professional services—leading organizations from early stage to 1,400+ employees, guiding post-acquisition integration, and building modern People functions aligned to business outcomes.Through my advisory and fractional work, I help companies establish operating cadence (EOS-inspired), design talent and leadership architecture, stabilize teams post-transaction, and scale responsibly without losing culture or momentum. I remain open to the right full-time CPO opportunity where the business, leadership, and growth challenge align.

Experience

1. Chief Operating Officer

   Mcgovern Law

   Jan 2025 — Present · Austin, TX, US

   McGovern Law\'s philosophy is simple: deliver top-tier, practical legal counsel, efficiently and effectively, while remaining accessible and responsive to our clients. Our attorneys bring a unique set of skills and experience to the practice of law because not only have we counseled countless startups, established businesses, investors, and funds, but each of us has also been involved first-hand in starting and running startups and other businesses. As a result, we understand the impact legal counsel and representation has on the way your business operates and succeeds because we’ve been there ourselves. I joined the firm to put in place the structure required to scale its operations, including the implementation of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).

Education

• Stephen F. Austin State University

  B.A., Psychology/Speech Communications

  1994 — 1998

Skills

• IT Recruitment
• College Recruiting
• Recruiting
• Program Management
• Recruitment Advertising
• Employee Relations
• Temporary Placement
• Facility Management (Fm)
• HR Policies
• Human Resources
• Sourcing
• Executive Search
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Performance Management
• Crm
• Onboarding
• Applicant Tracking Systems
• Strategy
• E-Commerce
• Employer Branding
• Technical Recruiting
• Job Descriptions
• Leadership
• Interviews
• Talent Management
• Commercial Real Estate
• Executive Management
• Facilities Operations
• Screening
• Hiring
• Job Description Development
• Employee Benefits
• Deferred Compensation
• Benefits Negotiation
• Interviewing
• Talent Acquisition
• Compensation & Benefits
• Start-Ups
• Management
• Personnel Management