Mr. Donius attended Tulane University, the A.B. Freeman School of Business and the Kellogg School at Northwestern Universities’ executive management program then spent the next thirty years working in both California and Missouri in the corporate world in the areas of management consulting, public relations, health care, television production and banking.
At age 50, Mr. Donius chose to depart the corporate world in order to devote full time energies to his passions of writing, serving on community boards and advocating for human rights issues.
Mr. Donius was appointed to serve a two-year term on the U.S. Federal Reserve Board-TIAC Council in Washington, D.C. in 2008. In addition he serves on a number of additional boards including the St. Louis Art Museum, Barnes Jewish Hospital Foundation, Maryville University, Forest Park Forever, ARCHS (Area Resources for Community Human Services-serves as Chair) and Pulaski Financial Corp.
In addition to community service, Donius is currently in the process of writing a non-fiction book on the difference between left and right brain function and the resulting consequences. He also writes for the Huffington Post.
Donius spent the past sixteen of his thirty years in the corporate world at Pulaski Bank in St. Louis. He led Pulaski Bank through an initial public offering in 1998 and stayed on for an additional twelve years as the Chairman and CEO. During his tenure the bank grew eight fold in size to $1.3 billion in assets, was ranked one of the top performing small banks in the country by SNL, voted Best Place to work in St. Louis in 2007 by the STL Business Journal and received a Torch Award in 2008 from the Better Business Bureau for excellence in ethics and customer service.
During his tenure as CEO of the bank, Donius was involved in chairing numerous community events and fundraisers, served on the Regional Business Council, the board of the Missouri Bankers Association, served as the Chairman of the national trade group, America’s Community Bankers (profit subsidiary). Donius was a frequent speaker at national banking industry conferences and contributor to multiple industry publications. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at the National Banking School in Fairfield, CT.
The St. Louis Business Journal cited him as one of the most Influential St. Louisans in 2007. Mr. Donius received the prestigious Volunteer of the Year Award in 2007 from the National Association of Philanthropy, is the 2009 Equality Award winner from Human Rights Campaign in St. Louis and the 2009 awardee from the National Conference for Community and Justice.
"How can we use our brain in a more powerful manner to live a better life?" This is a question that inspires me! I am intrigued by the difference between left and right brain function.
Although neuroscientists have made strides learning more about the brain over the past 50 years, it is still the most complicated and least understood organ. The progress has predominately been focused in learning about diseases of the brain. What about the remainder of the population?
How can we learn to use in brains more powerfully everyday? My thesis is we can learn how to tap into the source of creativity, intuition and instinctive thinking--the right hemisphere of the brain. By doing so we can benefit from the fresh ideas and insight, not typically available to us. Particularly helpful for understanding the barriers and obstacles we face in life.
I've conducted my own research by interviewing hundreds of people over the past three years since departing my public company CEO job. I've been able to prove my thesis we can live a happier, more mindful life by tapping into our right brain. The results were fascinating. I'm finishing a book on my findings,
Creating a dynamic, exciting, inclusive and collaborative workplace. I'm proud of the fact my company was voted, Best Place to Work in St. Louis in 2007 while I was CEO-Pulaski Bank.
Art-studied at Otis Parsons in L.A. And had several shows when I lived there.
As we age, our patterns and thought processes become more ingrained. Applying the the techniques Nobel prize winner Roger Sperry first proved possible by using both the dominant and non dominant hand to access information in the brain is far easier to do than one would imagine.
I grew interested in this topic 12 years ago when I applied it to my own life. The results were incredibly profound for me in my personal life as well as in my decision making role as a CEO.I was able to discover the barriers to a successful, intimate relationship. After this important resolution, I used this process to help resolve complex, strategic issues at my company.
My research shows this process works for others as well. I have dramatic examples and stories to share from my interviews of hundreds of subjects. Others, like me, have been able to transform their lives! This is certainly an idea worth spreading!
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