Operations

VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE

Steve serves as Vice President of Finance at Christine Brown & Partners, where he leads the firm’s financial strategy and day-to-day operations. 

In addition to managing the firm’s internal financial health, Steve plays a key advisory role in financial planning for clients, helping professional and collegiate athletes navigate the complexities of their careers. He develops tailored financial plans designed to help athletes manage and grow their earnings responsibly, from budgeting and cash flow management to tax planning, risk mitigation, and long-term wealth-building strategies.

Steve works closely with clients to ensure they have a clear understanding of their financial picture and are equipped to make informed decisions about contracts, endorsements, and post-career planning.

Before joining the firm, Steve served as Director of Athletics at Fairfield College Preparatory School, where he led large-scale budgeting, staffing, and operations for a multi-sport program. He also taught mathematics at the school. 

Steve holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Sacred Heart University and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Fairfield University.

LEGAL SPORTS ANALYST

Jennifer is the Legal Sports Analyst at Christine Brown & Partners, bringing more than 25 years of experience in collegiate athletics and higher education, and the perspective of a former Division I college athlete herself. Jennifer helps student-athletes and coaches navigate a full spectrum of areas in today’s new world of college athletics – from Title IX matters to NCAA compliance issues, NIL, and coaches’ contracts and compensation – drawing on her experience as a Deputy Title IX Coordinator and vast experience in college administration at all NCAA divisions.

Previously, she spent over a decade as Director of Athletics at Cal State San Marcos, where she transitioned the university’s athletics program from NAIA to NCAA Division II and oversaw a period of remarkable success, including 18 CCAA Championships since 2017 and 1,249 CCAA All-Academic honors. Prior to her administration role, she started a new program at CSUSM and served as the Women’s Softball Head Coach at the university.  Jennifer retired from CSUSM during the summer of 2025.

Before CSUSM, she was an Assistant Softball Coach and Academic Counselor at San Diego State University. Jennifer competed as a member of the softball team at the University of San Diego, where to this day holds many of the program’s records. Jennifer played in every inning of every game during her four years at USD.

Jennifer holds a Master of Arts in College Counseling & Student Affairs (2001) and a Bachelor of Arts in Diversified Liberal Arts (1997), both from the University of San Diego.

TITLE HERE

Stephen F. Donahue serves as TITLE at Christine Brown & Partners, bringing extensive legal experience beyond athletics to support clients in a wide range of matters. He specializes in areas such as litigation, real estate, medical malpractice, automobile negligence, premises liability, and commercial disputes. 
Stephen spent over five decades as Partner and Founder of Donahue & Brown, LLC in Fairfield, CT, where he built a respected practice resulting in XX win rate. Stephen earned his B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross and his J.D. from Cornell University.