Julie Shane, Founder
President & CEO-Causes International, Inc.
“Causes” was founded on two key principals: First, to help eliminate the devastating effects of improper disposal of eWaste on the environment and its inhabitants. Second, to offer a web based revenue generating solution to various causes in the United States and throughout the world. "Causes" provides systematic, seamless, sustainable revenue generating "green" campaign programs for Charitable Organizations, Non-Profits, For-Profits, Municipalities, Federations, Communities, Various Causes, as well as Medical and Academic Institutions. These creative campaigns augment other forms of contribution from donors as well as eliminates the dependence on the general economic climate. "Causes", as an organization, takes to heart each and every cause it serves. We listen, learn and create a campaign or series of campaigns that mirror the integrity, spirit, and personal message of each cause being served.
Prior to founding Causes International, Julie created JBY Real Estate, Inc. of Brookline, Massachusetts - An asset management company, which Julie headed as Founder, President & CEO from 1990 to 1996. JBY Real Estate provided major lending institutions and quasi governmental agencies a "one stop clearing house" approach to maintaining, managing and selling their portfolios of post-auction acquisitions during the fall of the real estate market in the late 1980’s - mid 90’s. Julie created, managed and supervised a network of nearly 1,100 professionals nationwide.
Seeing the various institutional needs for consultations prior to the foreclosure buybacks, Julie founded R.E.V.N.(Real Estate Valuations Nationwide, Inc.) of Brookline, Massachusetts – A consulting company for lending institutions/quasi governmental agencies pre-foreclosure from 1990-1996. In 1999, Julie started CareMasters, Inc. of Newton Centre, Massachusetts which provided both long - and short-term home health care to the elderly. Julie created a network of caring and devoted women to serve the local community by providing assistance to the elderly in need of home health-aid support. After a successful launch and growth period, the company was sold in 2001.
Julie’s most recent venture prior to Causes International was Future Visions, Inc. of Newton Centre, Massachusetts - A consulting company she co-founded and ran from 1999 – 2010. Future Visions was created during her early years of starting a family and was a company that focused on families. Future Visions was an organization that provided goods and services, quality of life and the platform for bringing the two together.
Kitty Schrow Dowd
Vice President of Business Development
Kitty brings 30 years of business experience to her role at Causes International along with her passion for technology and innovation while helping others. Kitty is highly skilled in helping to identify and collaborate in the development of new business initiatives as well as working with our team for launching customized, tailored campaigns. These collaborations extend to strategy, messaging and direction for the growth of Causes International while maintaining one eye on Causes’ client and partner goals.
Kitty assists our client companies, groups and organizations with campaign positioning, marketing and event management. In addition she helps create multi-tiered marketing strategies for Causes International and its clients that include elements of Socialnomics and Social Media Marketing.
Kitty’s career has been in the event management, financial and technology sectors. She was a founding partner in Exhibit 4 Productions that managed national and local conferences and events for large publishing clients such as INC. Magazine, CFO, Online World and Penwell Publications as well as others. She was co-founder of PushButton Software, a publisher of shrink-wrapped applications that achieved distribution in Walmart and Comp-USA among others. Her product management skills were honed at Lotus Development where she was the product line manager for Lotus 123 for the Macintosh. Prior to that Kitty was VP of Marketing for Symmetry Software in Scottsdale AZ, an education and business software publisher. She also headed marketing for Layered, Inc, an early Macintosh Developer. She began her high tech career at First Software, a distributor of computer products and she traveled extensively in Europe, expanding distribution of high tech products.
Thomas R Shane
Chief Strategic Officer
As a founding principal of Causes International Tom lends his long standing entrepreneurial and strategic skills to the organization for various operational, tactical and strategic issues that face the company.
Simultaneously while managing a law firm of 43 attorneys in three states, Tom founded Business Strategy Group in 1993, so he could leverage his combination of business, legal and entrepreneurial experience and skills. Business Strategy Group was named by Lawyer's Weekly as one of the top consulting groups in Boston. In addition Tom, in 1980, was the co-founder of Leading Edge Products, Inc. and served as its Vice Chairman, President and General Counsel until his departure in 1988. In 1988, Tom founded Shane & Paolillo, P.C., at its peak a firm of 43 attorneys on both coasts, in which Tom specialized in corporate law. Tom serves on various boards in the profit and non-profit world.
Hemang Shah
Chief Technology Advisor
Hemang brings 22 years of experience in helping commercial and government clients develop complex IT solutions, including both large scale software implementations as well as specific applications. He is one of the world’s leading experts in mobile technology, particularly Apple’s iOS, with which he has spearheaded the successful development, commercialization, and competitive differentiation of multiple iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch applications. Recent assignments range from interim CTO for a developer of interactive educational software and architect of a solution for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that leverages mobile technology with integrated Geotagging information and real time financial data to help inspectors.
William Hughes
Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors
Bill leverages his combination of skills to develop, execute and finance strategies to enable companies to grow. Bill is able to utilize his 30 years of business leadership experience applying the methodologies, disciplines and passion that have attributed to his success.
Before his strategy consulting work, Bill was President and Chief Operating Officer at Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading national general contracting and construction management firm headquartered in Boston, with offices in New York, Providence, New Haven and Las Vegas. For 11 years he was directly responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company as it grew from $200 million to almost $1 billion. In his role, he led the Senior Management Team in promoting the unique culture while maintaining strong financial performance and revenue growth.
Prior to leading Shawmut, Bill served as a General Manager for Johnson Controls for five years and for twelve years, held a variety of leadership positions in multiple businesses at General Electric. Bill holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.Bill also serves on the Board of Directors for The Room to Dream Foundation, the Board of Directors of The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Overseers at Roger Williams University.