Donovan Tate chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing Kentucky in the 2026 Mr. America Global pageant.
Mr. America Global
The Mr. America Global competition is more than just a showcase of style and presence—it is a transformative experience designed to empower participants with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to excel both personally and professionally. The finals will be held in Washington, D.C. on August 9th, 2026.
On competing in Mr. America Global, he remarked, “It is an exhilarating feeling knowing that I’m going to be on the national stage. This is something I’ve been thinking about for at least a year. I’ve been looking into pageants and to figure out which one is right for me. So I’m just stoked.”
Kentucky roots
He was born and raised in Kentucky. “I currently live in Frankfort, Kentucky, and I work for the state government here. I’m an environmental scientist. I’ve literally lived here my whole life. I went to the University of Kentucky in Lexington. I was born in Louisville and I lived in Bullitt County for 18 years,” he said.
Advocacy for Mr. America Global
On his advocacy for this year’s Mr. America Global, he shared, “My advocacy is sustainable fashion. I’m working on a few projects related to this area.”
Donovan continued, “The first one is a runway show where I’m going to be demonstrating vintage up-cycled and altered clothing that I received through a donation project with Franklin County, where the fiscal court here actually allowed me to put up a bin and the community started donating their textile waste and their old clothes. So, I’m taking that and I’m going to put it on a runway show at Josephine Sculpture Park.”
“Then, the clothes that are remaining will go to a woman’s shelter in Lexington,” he said. “I also have a radio show where I’m teaching people about sustainable fashion and just showing people that even if they take something small, it can actually be really meaningful and have a big impact.”
Donovan on why he should win Mr. America Global 2026
When asked why he feels he should win Mr. America Global 2026, he shared, “I think that I take every aspect of this competition and I excel in it. I’ve been modeling for the past 2.5 years now. I’ve perfected my posing and my styling. I have a very clear mission about sustainability. I’m going to be wearing clothes that are lent, donated, and designed with sustainability in mind.”
“Also, I think I am really funny. I have a great personality. I’m really great at connecting with people,” he admitted. “I think I can represent this country on the international stage because my life has just been shaped by all of the cultural diversity that is in this country. I just feel like I can represent everyone because I have a lot of compassion in my heart. I am really adventurous.”
“Honestly, I feel really brave about doing all the things that I’m doing. You could look at me and say that what I’m doing is cringe or just really small and not that impactful. I think if everyone took these steps that I’m making, we would have a much better world,” he acknowledged.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he stated, “Well, I’ve been calling this era the ‘Velvet Envoy,’ basically making this off of this idea of representing. I’m thinking about representing this country internationally, and I’m going to be moving to Spain.”
“So, I am seeing myself as an envoy of sorts. Then, the velvet being the smooth fabric of my life that I’m reshaping. So, I really like this extended metaphor of the Velvet Envoy,” he added.
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpower, it would be to “shape-shift. “Shape-shifting is the best power because you can shape-shift into anything,” he said. “You could shape-shift into a superhero that has a different power; think about that. As a kid, I always loved pretending that I was an animal.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Donovan said, “Success, to me, means looking back on my life and having no regrets. I don’t want to look at all the choices I made and think that I should have done things differently. I would rather look back and have some regrets than have a wanting to have done something that I didn’t do.”
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, Donovan expressed, “I could not have done this without you. Truly, this whole project has been shaped by my community. I’ve had so many people that have volunteered to help get my show on the ground and help get me on the radio. They’ve just done so much for me.”
“My family has done so much by connecting me with people and just making sure that I feel loved. I feel so loved by all my supporters right now. To all my fans and supporters, I say ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’ for everything. I hope to inspire people. That’s really the only reason that this pageant is even worth it,” he elaborated.
“Some people will say pageants are all about bragging rights, but if you’re not inspiring people, then you don’t really have anything to brag about,” he concluded.
To learn more about Mr. Kentucky Global Donovan Tate, follow him on Instagram.
