Daniel Donovan
About Daniel Donovan
Independent director of Intensity Therapeutics, Inc. since January 2023; age 60 as of June 4, 2024. Background spans patient advocacy and commercialization in rare disease and oncology; founder/president of Envision Pharma and CEO of rareLife Solutions. Education: B.S. in Finance, Lehigh University. The board determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Envision Pharma | Founder and President | 2001–Apr 2008 | Created Datavision publications tech; company later acquired by UBC |
| United BioSource Corp. (UBC) | SVP Strategy & Market Development | Apr 2008–Jun 2011 | Strategy and market development post-Envision acquisition |
| Pfizer | Multiple roles culminating in Director & European Team Leader | Not disclosed | Led commercialization of major product launches |
| Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals (CPP) | Board member; Chief Business Officer | Not disclosed | Late-stage development in rare diseases |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| rareLife Solutions, Inc. | Chief Executive Officer | Since 2014 | Patient, advocate, caregiver engagement for emerging rare-disease treatments |
Board Governance
- Board independence: Donovan is one of four independent directors (with Leahy, Goldberg, and Dubin) .
- Committee assignments: Chair, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Audit Committee status: Resigned from the Audit Committee on April 12, 2024; company regained compliance by appointing Thomas Dubin (Audit Committee now Leahy (Chair), Goldberg, Dubin) .
- Attendance: In 2023, the board met 4 times and committees met 4 times; no director attended fewer than 75% of meetings .
- Leadership structure: Combined CEO/Chair; independent directors meet without the CEO; no Lead Independent Director .
- 2025 context: Shareholders approved a reverse split authorization at the Oct 22, 2025 special meeting (18.33M for, 4.51M against) amid bid-price compliance pressures; board recommended approval .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fees earned (Director) – 2023 | $28,750 | Cash; no equity grants to non-employee directors in 2023 |
| Director Annual Cash Retainer (policy) | $40,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears; no meeting fees |
| Audit Committee Chair (policy) | $20,000 | — |
| Audit Committee Member (policy) | $10,000 | — |
| Compensation Committee Chair (policy) | $15,000 | Donovan serves as Chair |
| Compensation Committee Member (policy) | $7,000 | — |
| Nominating/Governance Chair (policy) | $10,000 | — |
| Nominating/Governance Member (policy) | $5,000 | Donovan serves as Member |
Performance Compensation
| Metric / Instrument | 2023 Disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Equity awards (RSUs/PSUs) to directors | Not awarded | Company disclosed no equity grants to non-employee directors in 2023 |
| Option awards to directors (new grants) | Not awarded (Donovan) | Option grants disclosed for Dubin in May 2024 (50,000 options @ $4.42, vesting in four installments) |
| Performance metrics tied to director pay (TSR, EBITDA, etc.) | Not disclosed | Director pay structured as cash retainers/committee fees |
No director performance-based pay metrics (TSR/financial targets) are disclosed; 2023 director pay was cash-only .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- rareLife Solutions (CEO): Related-party service agreement with INTS for INT230-6 publications (approved Apr 15, 2024) totaling $132,400; no payments made to date. This creates a direct business relationship between Donovan’s company and INTS (Audit Committee oversight per policy) .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Core expertise: oncology and rare disease commercialization; patient engagement; publications technology; finance; drug development .
- Qualifications cited: background in cancer and rare diseases, finance, drug development, patient advocacy, small-company board experience .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | May 31, 2024 | Aug 31, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned | 25,000 (exercisable options) | 56,250 (exercisable options) |
| Percent of outstanding | <1% | <1% of 49,055,462 shares |
| Options exercisable within 60 days | 25,000 | 56,250 |
| Options unexercisable (not within 60 days) | 50,000 | 68,750 |
| Shares pledged/hedged | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independence and active committee leadership (Compensation Chair; Nominating Member) align with governance best practices for oversight of pay and board composition .
- Meeting attendance met board policy thresholds in 2023; board and committees functioning with adopted charters .
- Formal related-party transaction policy requires Audit Committee review for transactions >$100,000; rareLife agreement disclosed and subject to policy .
-
Concerns and RED FLAGS:
- Related-party exposure: INTS engaged rareLife (Donovan’s company) for $132,400, creating a perceived conflict despite policy controls; investors should watch approvals, pricing, and ongoing payments (currently none) .
- Audit Committee resignation: Donovan’s April 2024 resignation led to temporary non-compliance until Dubin’s appointment; suggests sensitivity in audit oversight composition .
- Ownership alignment: Beneficial ownership is small (<1%); while options provide some alignment, low direct stock ownership may limit “skin-in-the-game” relative to policy guidelines (none disclosed) .
- Board leadership: No Lead Independent Director; combined CEO/Chair may reduce independent counterbalance, though executive sessions occur .
-
Implications for investors:
- Monitor any expansion or payments under the rareLife agreement for competitive bidding, independence of scope, and Audit Committee disclosure to mitigate conflict risk .
- Compensation oversight: With Donovan as Comp Committee Chair, observe shifts in executive pay mix (cash vs equity), adoption of performance metrics, and alignment with development milestones; current disclosures show cash-heavy director pay with limited equity for directors in 2023 .
- Board stability under listing pressure: Reverse split authorization and Nasdaq deficiency context increase pressure on governance effectiveness; engagement disclosures and committee robustness remain important signals .