About — Sher Downing, PhD
I built two practices from 30 years of experience — and one belief.
That the people navigating the most complex situations deserve the most rigorous, honest, and human support available.
The Story
The thread running
through all of it:
navigating complexity
with clarity.
For three decades, Sher Downing worked inside higher education and corporate training — building programs, leading teams, and eventually serving in C-suite roles at R1 research institutions. She watched how change succeeded and failed inside institutions. She understood the politics, the procurement cycles, the faculty culture, and the gap between what leaders announced and what actually happened on the ground.
When she founded Downing EdTech Consulting in 2016, she brought all of that institutional knowledge to the other side of the table — advising EdTech companies and institutions on strategy, transformation, and the human dynamics of change. Nearly nine years later, that practice serves K-12 districts, higher education institutions, and EdTech companies navigating some of the most complex markets in education.
But something else was happening alongside the EdTech work. Many of her entrepreneur clients — sharp, driven, capable people — were quietly managing caregiving situations alongside their businesses. Some were caring for aging parents. Others were managing family health crises. Almost none of them had a framework for it. And almost none of the business advice they received acknowledged it existed.
“I kept seeing the same invisible weight in my clients. A business that should have been thriving was stalling — not because of strategy, but because of everything happening before 9am.”
Recognition & Awards
EdTech Digest Leading Voice, 2026-2027
Thinkers360 Top 100 Thought Leader in EdTech
Finalist, EdTech Digest Trendsetter
Finalist, EdTech Digest Podcaster
Top 50 Women Leaders in Arizona
Edvocate Leadership Award
Entrepreneur of the Year Women in IT USA Awards
She recognized it because she had lived it herself. She launched The Entrepreneur Sandwich™ — a framework, community, coaching practice, and book built specifically for entrepreneurs navigating business growth alongside family caregiving responsibilities. The book launched February 20, 2026 — National Caregivers Day.
Today, both practices operate under a unified Sher Downing brand — one practitioner, two practices, one throughline. The ADVANCE Framework™ is the methodology that runs through both. The clients are different. The complexity is the same.
Practice Two
The Entrepreneur Sandwich™
Coaching, community, book, and the ADVANCE Framework™ for entrepreneurs navigating business growth alongside family caregiving responsibilities. Founded 2023. Book launched February 2026.
The Practice
One practitioner. Two practices.
One through-line.
Both built on the ADVANCE Framework™ — seven disciplines for navigating complex change.
Practice One
Downing EdTech Consulting
Strategic advisory, facilitation, and the ADVANCE Framework™ for EdTech companies and institutional leaders navigating transformation. Founded 2016. Nearly nine years of practice.