2/6/2023: Shani Dowell, founder and CEO, Possip
Shani Dowell founded Possip (short for “Positive Gossip”) in 2017 as a digital tool for school communities to easily share their “pinch points” and nip issues in the bud, before they grow thorny.
Possip is a systematic, user-friendly communication app, collecting feedback and crunching analytics, so parents, students, teachers and school leaders are more readily on the same page.
Today, more than 1300 organizations use Possip, gathering input from one million voices. Possip is used in Davidson and Sumner Counties and 350 other school systems across the country.
Dowell was named one of Nashville Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs, and she is the first Black woman in Tennessee to raise $1 million in venture funding.
She has an MBA from Stanford, and a Bachelor’s degree from Howard. Dowell began her career at Bain & Co.; she has continued to blend consulting, classroom teaching, and education executive roles, including with KIPP and Teach for America, prior to creating Possip.
