From Culinary Classroom to Capital Impact

How Jacob Donnelly Is Paying It Forward Through SkillsUSA

When Jacob Donnelly first heard about SkillsUSA Massachusetts, he was a freshman at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School. A teammate on the baseball team already involved in the organization nudged him to take a closer look.

That moment changed everything.

“I learned about it as a freshman, and by my sophomore year, I wanted to get involved,” said Donnelly, who opted for the culinary arts shop.

He didn’t start with a win. In fact, his first attempt to compete didn’t make it past the school level. But SkillsUSA offered something more than competition; it offered a pathway.

And given that opportunity, Donnelly stepped up.

Encouraged by peers and mentors, he ran for office, serving as a Massachusetts state officer and later as a national officer. Those leadership roles, he says, were transformative.

“It taught me leadership skills, behavioral skills and opened my eyes to opportunities across the country and even the world,” he said.

A foundation that endured

Now, a quarter century after graduating high school, Donnelly is a partner at Bain Capital. He helps lead its Double Impact strategy, which focuses on investments that deliver measurable social and environmental benefits alongside financial returns.

Despite a career that has taken him from vocational classrooms to Harvard University for advanced business and public policy degrees and into private equity, Donnelly points to SkillsUSA as the foundation.

“It came at a really important time in my development,” he said. “It helped me believe in myself, try new things, and even fail, always in a supportive environment.”

Through SkillsUSA, he traveled for the first time, met peers from across the country and globe – including a fellow officer from Uganda – and gained a broader understanding of what was possible.

“The exposure with SkillUSA really opened my eyes to the world,” he said.

A career built on skills and perspective

After high school, Donnelly pursued business studies at Babson College, worked in consulting, and later earned dual master’s degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School.

Along the way, his culinary training remained practical – helping him pay for college and even landing him a memorable role cooking for the New England Patriots during a co-op placement at a local hotel. On the morning of every home game, Donnelly flipped omelette after omelette for players before they departed for the field.

But it was the combination of technical training and leadership development – hallmarks of SkillsUSA – that set him apart.

“The technical skills get you in the door,” he said. “But the leadership skills and growth mindset – how you show up, how you work with others – that’s what makes you valuable.”

Today, those same principles guide his work in impact investing, where he helps grow companies focused on areas like climate, health care and education.

Giving back to the next generation

Donnelly’s connection to SkillsUSA never faded. Over the years, he stayed involved, including speaking at conferences, mentoring students and supporting programs when he could. For example, when he lived in Washington, D.C., he volunteered to help Massachusetts students in town for the annual national leadership conference.

Three years ago, that commitment deepened when he joined the SkillsUSA Massachusetts board. Today, he also leads its finance committee, working to expand corporate and philanthropic support.

His pitch to potential partners is simple: SkillsUSA is building the workforce of the future.

“Companies are all thinking about talent pipelines,” he said. “These students have the technical skills, the leadership skills and the mindset to contribute immediately. That’s rare and incredibly valuable.”

He also sees SkillsUSA as increasingly vital in a changing economy shaped by artificial intelligence and automation.

“The human skills – communication, teamwork, leadership – are only becoming more important,” he says.

From ingredient knowledge to a product line

As her consulting work grew, Clohesy began seeing sensitivities tied back to common ingredients. “I started really realizing that a lot of products weren’t helping the scalp environment as we thought that they were,” said Clohesy, whose concern for safe products intensified as she lost both parents to cancer.

That insight – plus years of education – led her into product development. “I knew what I wanted. I knew the ingredients. I knew every breakdown of the product,” she said. She partnered with chemists to bring it to life, including a first attempt she ultimately walked away from because the team wasn’t as invested in making it work. Still, she decided to try again. “I can walk away, or I can take what I learned and set out on the adventure again.”

Less than two weeks later, she was on a plane to meet a new team. “Who was I? I was just a little local cosmetologist,” she said. “Now here I was sitting in a boardroom with a team of chemists, laying everything out how I wanted it.”

The result was ROgHA Hair System, a name inspired by her personal mantra. A friend mentioned Clohesy’s “mantra about choices,” and Clohesy knew she’d found it. “That’s it – choice,” she said. She looked it up in Irish, honoring her heritage: “I said, ‘That’s it. This is the name of my product.’”

Today, Clohesy and her product line are sponsors of SkillsUSA Massachusetts programs, including the same state competitions where she once medaled. That follows on nearly 20 years as events manager, working to set up stations for students competing in the novice programs, such as haircutting.

In 2023, Clohesy closed her salon to focus on broader impact through education, consulting and her product line. Her message – to students, stylists and clients – is the same principle that carried her from reluctant beginner to founder.

“Never stop learning,” she said. “There are always new things to learn. Even as much as I know today, I’m still continuing to learn myself.”

‘The best kept secret in America’

Ask Donnelly why he continues to give his time and energy to SkillsUSA and the answer comes quickly.

“I love the organization,” he said. “It changed me in very profound and positive ways.”

He calls SkillsUSA “the best kept secret in America” – a place where students not only learn trades, but build confidence, character and community.

From students collaborating across trades to build structures, to those logging thousands of hours in community service, he sees the same passion today that shaped his own journey.

“It’s inspiring,” he said. “And I want to help make sure more students have that opportunity.”

At home, Donnelly still finds time to cook, often making fresh pasta (and a mess of the kitchen) with his 6-year-old daughter. It’s a small but meaningful reminder of where he started.

And while his career now operates at a global scale, his motivation remains rooted in those early lessons.

“SkillsUSA gave me the confidence to pursue things I didn’t think were possible,” he said. “If I can help even a few students see new opportunities for themselves , it’s worth it.”