You'd be working with one person. Here's who.
Before you hire a consultant, you want to know who's actually going to show up, what they've done, and whether they'll tell you the truth. This page is for that.
I'm Elizabeth Downs. Liz, to most people who work with me.
I founded Clay Downs in 2026 after thirteen years building and leading the higher education travel and expense practice at a large national consulting firm, where I grew the team from a single consultant to seven and led more than 65 full-cycle implementations across 85+ institutions.
Higher education is where I do my deepest work, and it's where I've chosen to stay. Colleges and universities carry a set of complications most organizations never encounter: sponsored research and grant compliance, decentralized departments with real autonomy, faculty travel that refuses to behave like corporate travel, and a governance structure where the right answer still has to be socialized through several committees before it becomes the real answer.
I like that complexity. More to the point, I've learned how to work inside it without steamrolling it, which is usually the difference between a system that goes live and a system that gets adopted.
I started the firm because the institutions that needed this work most were the ones being priced out of it. The rates at a national firm are set for an institution with deep pockets. A community college with a two-person finance office needs the same expertise at a price that makes sense for a community college. That's the whole business plan.
Before I was a consultant, I was an accountant.
I started out as a field auditor and worked through project accounting, accounting management and financial reporting before moving into assistant controller roles across engineering, construction, mining and manufacturing. Along the way I managed compliance and procurement, led a global travel and expense rollout across four continents, stood up an expense audit team, designed and documented SOX controls, and led a team of twelve.
That's the background behind almost every recommendation I make. I'm not designing a workflow in the abstract. I'm designing it knowing who has to reconcile it, who has to defend it to an auditor, and what happens at close if we get it wrong.
Three things you can hold me to.
Senior, start to finish.
When you hire Clay Downs, you get me. Not a principal at the kickoff and an analyst for the eight months after. Every deliverable, every working session, every difficult conversation with a department that doesn't want to change. That's me.
Independent by design.
I don't resell software and I don't take referral fees. My recommendation on a platform, a travel management company or an audit model is the one I'd give if I were sitting on your side of the table, because there's nothing on my side of it.
Right-sized to the institution.
Some clients need a full implementation. Some need a second set of eyes on a policy rewrite, or a health check on a program that went live three years ago and never quite settled. I'd rather scope the engagement you actually need than sell you the one that's easiest to staff.
Where you may have seen me.
A regular presenter at SAP Concur Fusion since 2017, and at SCTEM, CHELF and EACUBO. If you're organizing a session on higher education T&E and want a speaker, moderator or panelist, get in touch.
- 2026SCTEM WebinarExpense Sense | Tools That Talk Your LanguagePanelist and moderator
- 2026SCTEM Annual ConferenceAutopilot Engaged: Real-world AI in Travel ProgramsSession coordinator
- 2025SAP Concur FusionDE&I in travel programsCo-presenter
- 2025EdTalk WebinarAutomating Expense Management: Streamlining and Efficiencies for Managing Campus Travel & Expense SpendCo-presenter
- 2024EACUBO Annual MeetingAutomating Expense Management: Streamlining and Efficiencies for Managing Campus Travel & Expense SpendPanelist
- 2023SAP Concur FusionEducation Meets Regulation: Enabling Employee Compliance for U.S. Regulated IndustriesCo-presenter
- 2023SAP Concur webinarSAP Concur Request innovations and business process streamliningCo-presenter
- 2023GBTA Rocky Mountain RegionAmerican Airlines' NDC rollout: process impacts on business travelCo-presenter
- 2022SCTEM Annual ConferenceHow does your T&E Program Measure Up?Presenter
- 2022CHELFTravel & expense reportingPresenter
- 2021SCTEMTravel Adoption: Selling Policy to TravelersCo-presenter
- 2021SCTEMTravel Adoption: Selling Policy to LeadershipPresenter
- 2020SAP Concur webinarCOVID-19 adjustments and impacts on T&E programsCo-presenter
- 2020SAP Concur Public Sector SummitAP automation to support a remote working environmentCo-presenter
- 2018University of Texas Annual Travel ConferenceWhat's working in higher education travel & expensePresenter
- 2017SAP Concur FusionT&E program optimizationSubject matter expert
- 2017CHELF"Ask the Experts" panelPanelist
- 2016CHELFBest practices in higher education T&EFacilitator
What clients and partners say.
Liz brought a strong understanding of travel and expense processes and helped identify opportunities to improve efficiency, strengthen controls, and enhance the overall employee experience. She was thoughtful in her approach, highly collaborative, and effective at working with stakeholders across the university to develop practical solutions. I would readily recommend Liz to any organization looking for a knowledgeable, dependable, and results-oriented consultant.
I've had the pleasure of working with Liz across multiple mutual customers, and she is an exceptional partner and collaborator. She is incredibly intelligent, confident, and highly knowledgeable in travel and expense management, particularly SAP Concur. Liz works closely with all stakeholders and isn't afraid to challenge customers to do what is right, even when it's not the easiest or most comfortable path. As a result, our shared customers achieve stronger adoption, more efficient processes, and long-term, scalable solutions. She brings innovation, strong problem-solving skills, and integrity to every engagement. I truly value her candor and collaborative approach, and the outcomes she helps deliver consistently make a meaningful difference for customers.
Liz has a knack for connecting with her client audience, speaking plainly so that she is effectively understood, and being thorough in her point so as to fully address the client's open questions.
The paper trail.
- MBA, Regis University, with honors
- BS Economics, summa cum laude, Western Carolina University
- BA Accounting, summa cum laude, Western Carolina University
- SAP Concur Certified Implementation Partner, 2012–2023
- Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP)
- Board Member, Society for Collegiate Travel & Expense Management (SCTEM), 2025–2026
- Education Committee, SCTEM, 2025–present
- SAP Concur
- Emburse
- Workday
- Oracle Cloud
- Banner, PeopleSoft (integration)
I'm based in Colorado, where the mountains are close enough that I have no excuse not to be in them. I travel as often as the calendar allows, most recently through Scotland, which was less a vacation than a long-standing obligation to myself. I read a great deal of poetry, which has almost nothing to do with expense management and everything to do with why I'm still interested in how people navigate change.