Dawn Willoughby

Dawn Willoughby held the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Clorox Company from 2014-2019. In this role, she oversaw the five core global functions — Marketing, Sales, Product Supply, Research & Development and Information Technology — as well as the International Division and Burt's Bees®, Nutranext® and Renew Life® businesses. In addition, she has led Enterprise Strategy, Operations, and the Cleaning and Professional Products Divisions.

Previously, she held numerous other senior management roles with the company. She was senior vice president – general manager, Cleaning Division, with responsibility for the Laundry and Home Care business operating units; vice president – general manager, Home Care, with responsibility for eight core brands, including Clorox® disinfecting wipes, Pine-Sol® cleaners, Formula 409® and Tilex® cleaners and other home care products; and vice president – general manager, Glad Products. In that role, she helped lead the business unit’s focus on sustainable waste management, including breakthrough innovation around stronger trash bags that use significantly less plastic. She also served as vice president – Sales Planning with responsibility for the company’s Litter, Food, Charcoal, Auto and Brita® businesses. She joined Clorox in 2001 as a planning manager on a cross-functional team that drove process improvement and systems implementation across the company.

Prior to joining Clorox, Willoughby spent nine years with Procter & Gamble, where she held several positions in sales management in the Minneapolis, Denver and Los Angeles markets. In her last assignment with P&G, she worked on the Global Business Unit for the Food & Beverage business. Willoughby has held numerous board positions within the consumer packaged goods industry and for area nonprofits. She was named a director of the J.M. Smucker Company in 2017 and is a member of the Nominating, Governance, and Corporate Responsibility Committee. In serving her local community, Dawn is on the board of the Alameda County Community Food Bank and has served two years as board chair. Previously, Dawn served on the board of directors of the American Cleaning Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Industry Affairs Council, and the East Bay SPCA where she spent two years as board chair.

She was named one of the most influential women in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times in 2013.

A native of Michigan, Willoughby holds a bachelor’s degree in sports management from University of Minnesota, where she captained the volleyball team, and a master’s degree in business administration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

Mission Moments

with Dawn Willoughby

Is there a Charities impact story that sticks out in your memory?

Facilitating more than 10 million adoptions is a wonderful milestone! This type of work takes an army, and PetSmart Charities and our partners are leading the charge.

As you are learning about our work, what is one thing that has surprised you?

I am so pleased to hear that over time, there has been positive impact through spay, neuter, and a focus on adoption that has dramatically improved the opportunity for every animal to find a loving home. This significant level of improvement demonstrates that our collective efforts in animal welfare are making a difference.

What motivates you to want to be involved in the future of animal welfare?

While great strides have been made in animal welfare, there is so much more to do. Creating more accessible and affordable veterinary care is a critical one. PetSmart Charities is not afraid to tackle this effort as well as other big challenges, and I’m happy to be engaged in this important work.