Current Role
As the current Director of Insights and Impact, Holly Downs is responsible for leading our global evaluation and analytics initiatives and team that uses data to improve programs and show impact. She develops strategies and priorities for measuring impact, gaining insights, and promoting internal learning across our programs and services. Working with the VP of Research and Impact and the entire team, she helps set strategy for and collaboratively leads the overall group while ensuring systems and guidelines maintain professional standards in data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Experience
With over 20 years of experience in leadership development evaluation and research, Holly brings deep expertise in program evaluation, research methodologies, and team management. As the previous project director for Amplify within our Societal Impact group, she secured and led a transformative $17.2 million grant-funded program focused on strengthening high-potential nonprofits through enhanced leadership development, strategic program design, and data-driven learning.
Before joining CCL, she served as an Assistant Professor for the Department of Educational Research Methodology and as the Associate Director of the Office of Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Services in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She continues to serve as an adjunct professor at UNCG.
Education
Holly has a PhD in Educational Psychology and an MEd in Education from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She has a BS in Education from Eastern Illinois University.
Honors, Awards, Grants
Holly has received multiple honors, awards, and grants for her work, including the following:
- Top 50 Women Leaders of North Carolina for 2024, Women We Admire Organization, 2024.
- Center for Creative Leadership, Amplify/PropelNext Product — $17.2 million grant from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (April 2020–April 2026)
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Educational Research Methodology Department in the School of Education, Greensboro, North Carolina (August 2010–September 2014) Research and evaluation of projects that generated $5,272,110 in grant funding for UNCG.
- Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CORE) Outstanding Outcome Research Paper Award (2016), Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation Journal, 2016.
- Mentoring/Advising/Supervising (MAS) Award, School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2014.
- Midwest Representative for the National 2003 Station Advisory Council for PBS, WILL AM-FM-TV, 2003.
