James Donovan, a 1984 graduate of St. John's Prep, has been nominated to become deputy secretary of the Treasury.

"This is a great honor for Jim and a tribute to the wide reach of the Prep alumni community," said Headmaster Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D.

Donovan is a partner at Goldman Sachs, where he has worked in investment banking and investment management. He joined Goldman in 1993 and became a partner in 2000. “He’s a low-ego guy and a world-class builder of enduring relationships,” former Goldman co-president John Thornton told politico.com.

Donovan, who holds a law degree and an MBA, has also taught for eight years at the University of Virginia Law School, where he wins high marks from his students, according to Paul Mahoney, a former dean at the law school. “The students rave about both the depth of his knowledge and the fact that he’s also taken the time to get to know them and urge them to develop their own ideas in classroom discussion,” Mahoney said on politico.com.

At St. John's, Donovan was a member of the National Honor Society and played varsity soccer. In an interesting note for someone whose career has led to Washington, D.C, then Massachusetts Senator Paul E. Tsongas was the Commencement speaker at St. John's the year Donovan graduated. After graduating from the Prep, Donovan went to MIT, where he received his bachelor's in chemical engineering. He also holds an MBA from MIT's Sloan School of Management and a law degree from Harvard.