Stephanie Downs

Stephanie Downs is an entrepreneur offering a broad range of strategic and tactical experience, including extensive work in Internet marketing. She has developed and managed marketing programs for large national corporations, helping them strengthen or establish positioning, increase awareness and ultimately increase sales and revenue. In 1999, she founded MarKomm Consulting as a full service marketing consulting firm, which quickly evolved to a focus on Internet marketing. To complement her consulting business, in 2000 she founded ConferZone, an e-conferencing portal that provided comprehensive industry analysis, market data, and guidance to organizations.

In 2007, Downs put her business knowledge to "good" use. The success of her marketing agency enabled her to step away from running the day to day business while she worked full time on PETA's Corporate Affairs team bridging the gap between animal rights and the business community. Although no longer on staff, she continues to work pro-bono on crucial negotiations.

In 2009, Downs co-founded the FiXiT Foundation – a non-profit focused on using marketing and research to drive demand for spay/neuter programs to bring an end to pet overpopulation. The foundation is currently conducting a research study on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

In 2011, Downs founded Voolla.org – an online marketplace where volunteers with skills are matched to buyers of those skills, with the proceeds going to charity. The program turns volunteer skills into badly needed money for charities.

Prior to starting her own businesses, Downs worked with Prime Response, Inc., a marketing automation software start-up, as director of marketing communications. She also worked for IBM Corporation as a marketing specialist and with CPM Corporation, a database marketing software start-up, as the vice president of marketing communications.

She also served on the board of directors at the Table Mountain Animal Shelter in Golden Colorado and chaired their Annual Walk-A-Thon Fundraiser. She is a certified member of the American Humane Associations emergency rescue team, and has over as decade of hands on experience with animals.

Downs graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Illinois State University.