By Anne Toole
Charleston ENT & Allergy has become a household name in the Lowcountry, and while Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Donahue is not keen on being in the spotlight herself, her work behind the scenes in this leadership position has helped propel the company to be the community mainstay that it is today.
When she began as director of medical center operations 15 years ago, she undertook six offices and about 100 employees; fast forward to today, the now-COO has contributed to growing the company to encompass 18 offices and over 300 employees. As much as the scope has evolved, Donahue’s role has evolved as well. Charleston ENT & Allergy now partners with Charleston Plastic Surgery and other ENT private practices in the Beaufort and Columbia areas.
“While we have grown exponentially over the past decade, I am very proud to be part of helping in the implementation of the joint practice associations our company has taken on, like Charleston Plastic Surgery,” she said. “While the field of plastic surgery vastly varies from otolaryngology in so many ways, we are bonded in the same desire of offering excellence and compassion to our patients.”
The ability to play a role in creating successful partnerships like these across the state and across varying medical specialties is a part of her work that she takes great pride in.
Constant evolution is a theme across the board in Donahue’s position – just as the practice continues to evolve and grow, so does the health care industry as a whole. “The need for constant adaptability can be very challenging,” she explained. “However, I feel that we have managed to assemble a superior team comprised of like-minded individuals who collaborate and utilize their collective talents to take on the constant creative problem solving that our line of work demands.”
The workload is not light; she oversees 16 ENT offices, two surgery centers, a plastic surgery practice and many partnerships. But for Donahue it is a labor of love. She finds joy in fostering the career growth of talented people she works with. “They discover passions and talents that they can grow within our practice. I love seeing potential in people and helping them find ways to best utilize their skills,” she smiled. “They then continue the cycle as they discover new team members with untapped potential, and on it goes. It’s a beautiful sort of ecosystem.”
In fact, it’s many of these same people – from across the Charleston ENT & Allergy locations, Charleston Plastic Surgery and the group’s partners statewide – who inspire Donahue. “Working in a collaborative environment to maintain our forward momentum keeps me excited about what we are working to build among these practices,” she said. “I can’t do what I do without the hard work and talent of those who are doing it with me.”
Jennifer Donahue, COO
Charleston ENT & Allergy; Palmetto ENT & Allergy; Charleston Plastic Surgery
2295 Henry Tecklenburg Drive, Charleston
843-766-7103
charlestonent.com
