Kathryn Downing

As a coach and strategic planning consultant, Kathryn Downing draws on the knowledge and perspectives gained from more than 30 years of leadership experience in the business world, as well as in non-profits and as an individual who has made significant career and personal transitions. As a business executive the focus was on leading the financial turnaround and cultural transformation of professional publishing companies including the Los Angeles Times as its Publisher, President and CEO.

Kathryn’s specialty was in leading organizations through profound change and transformation. Loving to create new businesses resulted in her involvement as an entrepreneur in the start-up of two publishing endeavors, the start-up of a consulting business addressing large-scale reform in education and the start up of an educational company in the beauty industry.

In 2005 she began a coaching and strategic planning practice that has been very rewarding. Her depth of experiences in business and in life led her to focus on strategic planning and coaching. Her coaching practice is in three areas that she cares about deeply: leaders in non-profit and for-profit organizations, women executives and individuals contemplating or facing significant life transitions.

Her current board service is on the Board of The Women’s Foundation of California, and as a member of the executive committee as Past Chair of the Board.  Additional service is on the board of MyAgro, a non-profit based in Mali focused on eradicating poverty through agriculture.

Her educational background is a J.D. from Stanford University School of Law and a B.A. in economics from Lewis & Clark College in Portland Oregon. She is a certified Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara coach.