CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Donna Carpenter

Chair of the Board & Owner of Burton

HBO

Dear Rider

Donna met Burton’s founder, Jake Burton Carpenter in a Southern Vermont bar on New Year’s Eve 1981. Ever since, she’s been a driving force at the world’s leading snowboard company.

 

Her first job included dipping snowboards in polyurethane and answering the customer service line that rang in the bedroom. In the mid-1980s, Donna expanded Burton’s business to Europe and ran the company’s first international office in Innsbruck, Austria. In 2003, Jake asked Donna to make Burton a brand of choice and employer of choice for women. Thanks to Donna’s leadership, Burton now has progressive parent policies, mentoring programs and more women in leadership roles.

 

In 2010, Donna stepped up to the role of President, and then in 2016 went on to become Burton’s first female CEO. In February 2020, Donna became the Chair of the Burton Board of Directors, a position formerly held by her late husband and Burton founder, Jake Burton Carpenter who passed away in November of 2019 due to complications from recurring cancer.

 

Today, Donna’s main focus is protecting Jake’s legacy by protecting and advocating for the sport of snowboarding with her three sons. Donna also continues to be a strong climate activist, speaking up on behalf of sustainability efforts as well as advocating for more diversity on the mountain and in boardrooms. Deemed a ‘Super Woman’ by Refinery29 and ‘The Snowboard Ambassador’ by The New York Times, Donna’s leadership is an inspiration to her company, her industry and beyond.