Tracey Pettengill Turner
Encyclopedia
MicroPlace
MicroPlace, founded in 2006, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA , MicroPlace is currently the only online introducing broker-dealer specializing in microfinance securities for retail investors. Started by Tracey Pettengill Turner, MicroPlace was bought out by eBay Inc...
, provider of microfinance
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
, now a PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
affiliate and a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay Inc
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor's Degree in engineering
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
and economics from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Pettengill Turner initially worked for the US Committee for Refugees in Sudan. Commencing a social entrepreneurship program in 1996, she completed a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Stanford Business School, Pettengill Turner moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh to work for the Grameen Bank
Grameen Bank
The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...
, pioneering microfinance.
In 1998 a classmate of Pettengill Turner's founded 4charity.com, an online marketplace established for college student textbook purchases, initially allowing donations to the Special Olympics. Turner served as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer, then became Chief Finance Officer of KickStart
KickStart
KickStart Kids is a charity started by Chuck Norris. The Charity was formerly known as "Kick Drugs out of America".Kickstart Kids is a middle school program that keeps at risk children away from drugs and gangs by offering mentoring, positive role models, physical exercise and mental discipline...
, a non-profit organization that designs and sells products focused on poverty alleviation.
She founded MicroPlace as an alternative and socially responsible investment opportunity for individuals to make small investments in microfinance. In 2006, eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
purchased MicroPlace for an undisclosed sum, with Pettengill Turner as general manager and director.
Pettengill Turner's leadership awards include the Top 25 Women of the Web Award
San Francisco Women on the Web
San Francisco Women on the Web is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. It works to serve, educate and empower women in technology through professional development, support, and networking opportunities...
in 2000, San Francisco Business Times Leadership Award, and a Working Woman Magazine Entrepreneurship Award.