Sabrina Parsons Bio

Sabrina Parsons is CEO of Palo Alto Software in Eugene, Oregon. Palo Alto Software is the company behind the best-selling business management software, LivePlan, and Outpost, an email tool for teams, as well as Bplans—a hub for expert advice on starting, running, and growing a business.Sabrina became CEO in 2007, and she led the company’s transition from a desktop software product to a cloud-based app. Sabrina is responsible for Palo Alto’s business planning, fiscal and strategic goals, and all of the company’s traditional marketing.Sabrina and her team are the minds behind Lean Planning and the LivePlan Methodology, which has inspired an entire curriculum for strategic business advising based on planning and forecasting. She regularly teaches seminars and workshops on financial strategy and planning for accelerators, MBA programs, the AICPA, and many others. For more than 10 years, Sabrina has trained SBDC consultants in financial strategy, Lean Business Planning, and the LivePlan Method at the ASBDC annual conference. Sabrina serves as a judge and mentor for the AICPA Accelerator, and as a finals judge for the Oregon New Venture Championship and the University of Texas Venture Competition. Sabrina is dedicated to her local community and to developing the next generation of leaders and emerging entrepreneurs. In 2018, the governor of Oregon appointed her to the Oregon Growth Board, where she helps guide strategic investments to support growing Oregon companies. She also serves on the boards of the Princeton Entrepreneurs’ Network, and RAIN, the Willamette Valley (Oregon) Regional Accelerator Innovation Network.Locally, Sabrina is an Oregon Community Foundation board member, where she sits on Strategic Opportunities Committee and is tasked with creating opportunity through investments in small business and underserved entrepreneurs. A mother of three boys 14 and under, Sabrina authors a blog about the challenges and rewards of being a “Mommy CEO.” She is a long-time advocate for women in business, and is involved with organizations including International Women’s Forum and Family Forward. She also regularly mentors and writes about issues that impact women in leadership and business. Sabrina contributes to Inc magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Forbes, and Bplans. Sabrina graduated from Princeton University.