#  Donna Cote 

Senior Common Room

 

 

 



   ![Donna Cote](/sites/g/files/omnuum9706/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2026-11/DMC%20Headshot%2011%2011%2026.png?itok=VWffZTJl) 

 



 

 email [donna\_cote@harvard.edu](mailto:donna_cote@harvard.edu) 

 



 

Hi Winthrop! I’m Donna Cote, a 2027 Fellow in Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. I founded Coterra Companies, a private real estate investment and development firm based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Before that, I worked in institutional real estate, at a Forbes 400 family office, and at Ventas, a healthcare REIT.  
I was the first in my family to go to college. I earned a BA from UVA, a JD from the University of Chicago, and an MBA from Kellogg. That experience shaped my interest in economic mobility and in helping people navigate education and careers, especially when they are trying to figure out which path is right for them.  
I’m always happy to talk about entrepreneurship, real estate, investing, law, philanthropy and nonprofits, career navigation, world history, American government and democracy, wildlife and land conservation, or whatever else is on your mind. I’d love to meet you, so please reach out!





 

 

 





 

 

- ## Role
    
     [Senior Common Room](/role/senior-common-room)