WVHS to host DEA Chief Ray Donovan

Retired DEA agent and Chief of Operations Ray Donovan will be visiting Warwick Valley High School on January 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss his life, his work, and current drug trends in the country and local community. Parents and students will also have an opportunity to sit and chat with Donovan.

At 6 p.m. Donovan will speak, followed by a Q&A. Then at 7 p.m. parents will split for a lecture titled, “Under Your Radar, Hidden Mischief.”

This free event is open to the public, but space is limited. To reserve your spot, email kerry.wvpc@gmail.com or call 845-986-6422, ext. 4. The event is sponsored by Warwick Valley High School, Warwick Valley Middle School, Warwick Valley Prevention Coalition, and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council.

Donovan began his career in 1995 working as a U.S. Border Patrol agent. He quickly transitioned over the to U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) two years later, assigned to the DEA’s New York Drug Task Force. In 2006, he was promoted to group supervisor of the task force. Then in 2012 he was reassigned to the Special Operations Division, which led Donovan to target notorious drug trafficking organizations such as the Sinaloa Cartel. In 2015, he was promoted to section chief, where he led the operation that helped capture Joaquin Guzman-Loera, aka El Chapo, in Los Mochis, Mexico. In 2018, he became the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New York Division. In addition, Donovan helped manage a special operation that tracked and investigated fentanyl distribution across the U.S.