James Donnelly is the Founder and Chairman of Crown Residential. He is also a CPA, angel investor, serial entrepreneur, sought after speaker, and philanthropist.

Born in Ottawa, Canada, James worked for Arthur Andersen before co-founding one of Canada’s fastest growing investment companies. He moved his family to Florida in 1996.

In 2024, James was honored with the Horatio Alger Award, one of the country’s highest honors.

In 2023 James and Cathy endowed the Donnelly Real Estate Management Program at Nova Southeastern University.

In 2019, James received the Sun Sentinel’s Excalibur Business Leader of the Year for Broward County as well as the 2019 Terry Stiles South Florida Leadership Award presented by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. James is a past Finalist of Florida’s Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He has also been recognized in the South Florida Business Journal as one of Broward County’s Ultimate CEO’s, was inducted in 2014 into the Hall of Fame at Nova Southeastern University’s H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship and was honored by Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2017 on Free Enterprise Day as a Companion Medalist.

James sits on the Nova Southeastern University Board of Trustees and is the past Chair of YPO Florida, the Community Foundation of Broward, and the Broward Workshop and sits on the Board of Advisors of the LeMieux Center for Public Policy at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

James and his wife Cathy are active members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Legacy Society, the United Way Tocqueville Society, and Benefactors of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation. James and Cathy received the NSU President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service in 2020.

James holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Carleton University and Chartered Professional Accountant designation from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants.

His passions are his family, community, his company, and teammates, travelling, skiing, reading, and writing. James also holds a private pilot’s license.

James and Cathy live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and have three adult sons, Jordan, Chase, and Brock.