Connect on Social Media
LinkedIn:
Twitter:
Website:
About
First Name:
Last Name:
Title and Organization:
Bio:
Donna Byrd is the founder of Blue Butterfly, a digital startup that is reinventing the funeral planning process. The company helps coordinate funeral planning in a way that allows families to receive support from their community, honor their loved one and reduce costs.
Prior to Blue Butterfly, Donna was the founding publisher of TheRoot.com, the #1 black news site in the US with 13 million readers. In 2015, she successfully spearheaded the sale of The Root to Univision Communications.
Donna’s career began in corporate America where she worked for Procter & Gamble and The Coca-Cola Company. At Coke, Donna served as an Associate Brand Manager in their new business department and as a Brand Manager on Coca-Cola classic. Upon leaving Coke, Donna began her journey as a serial entrepreneur and helped with the start up of five companies. She helped launch ezgov.com, BlackAmericaWeb.com for radio personality, Tom Joyner, Kickoff Marketing, TheRoot.com and most recently, Blue Butterfly.
Donna has a BA in American Government from The University of Virginia and a MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and serves on the boards of The Public Welfare Foundation and the Hirshhorn Museum.
Fellowship Program
Class
