serves as a professor at Regent University and runs the McDonnell Group, a real estate consulting firm, with his sister. Early life and education McDonnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Emma B. Meta (née Meiller; 1928–1994) and John Francis McDonnell (1916–2010). His paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, and his maternal grandparents were from Alsace-Lorraine in what was then the German Empire. His family moved to Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1955 when he was a year old. He spent four years of his early childhood in Germany when his father, a United States Air Force officer, was sent out on assignment. After returning to Virginia, the McDonnells permanently established residence in Fairfax County. McDonnell's mother worked at Mount Vernon. McDonnell graduated from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1972. McDonnell attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on an ROTC scholarship, graduating with a BBA in management in 1976. Immediately following graduation, he served as a medical supply officer in the United States Army for four years. His military posts were medical clinics in Germany from 1976 to 1979, and in Newport News, Virginia, from 1979 to 1981. In addition, he took night classes and received an MS in business administration from Boston University in 1980. After leaving active duty in 1981, McDonnell worked for the American Hospital Supply Corporation, primarily in the custom products regional division. His career path shifted from business to law and public policy when he selected a joint degree program at Christian Broadcasting Network University now known as Regent University. He obtained an M.A./J.D. there in 1989. During his studies, McDonnell interned under Congressman Jerry Lewis (R-California). House of Delegates (1992–2006) McDonnell first ran and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991, defeating Democratic incumbent Glenn McClanan 53%–47%. He won re-election in 1993 against Thomas Carnes 64%–36%, and was unopposed in 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2003, serving seven terms. The 1999 election against the extremely popular challenger, Sheriff Frank Drew was then the most expensive State Delegate campaign in the history of Virginia. The combined cost of over $985,000 crushed previous records. He represented the 84th district in Virginia Beach. Under the 1998–2001 power-sharing arrangement between House Republicans and Democrats, he was Co-Chair of the Committee on the Chesapeake and its Tributaries in 2000–01. He became Chair of the Courts of Justice Committee in 2003.