Shani Dowell
Possip
Nashville, TN
Shani Dowell is the founder and CEO of Possip. A product of Houston public schools and a public school teacher and parent, Shani loves supporting the work of schools. She started her career as a consultant at Bain & Co. and helped launch the Boston office of the Posse Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to increase student retention and engagement on college campuses. She has also worked for Houston Independent School District, KIPP Foundation—a national network of charter schools, Teach For America, Bridgespan Group, and Relay Graduate School of Education. Shani earned her BA at Howard University in Washington, DC, and her MBA at Stanford University. In starting Possip, Shani seeks to support schools by elevating the ideas of parents, teachers, and students. Possip is now in over 700 schools across 26 states serving over 400,000 parents and staff.
“…what already excites me is open system work. So working with people who are similarly enthused about open system work excites me. Working with a group of people who are truly open and have the best ideas of what any people can accomplish at their best would also make me excited to join a group of folks working on open system work. Working with people who can both hold competing ideas in their heads at once, know when to be patient and think, and also know when to take action excites me. I'd also love people who help me build my perspective because they are coming from multiple paths and backgrounds.”