Alumni Profile: Stephanie Brown Trafton

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Stephanie Brown Trafton

Stephanie Brown Trafton is known for many things. She’s an Olympic gold medal winner, a volunteer coach at Sacramento State, and also an alumni of CCE’s Project Management certificate program. Those project management skills come in handy while she juggles her many priorities.

In 2008, Brown Trafton won the United States’ first gold medal in the women’s discus since 1932. It was also the first medal of any kind by an American woman in the event since 1984.

At the time, she was one of the few Olympic athletes to hold a day-job while training, at a project management position at a local Sacramento firm.

In 2012, Brown Trafton had an eventful year, setting the American record in the discus and advancing to the 2012 London Olympics. In May, Brown Trafton shattered the U.S. record with a throw of 220-03 in Maui, Hawaii. She later won the U.S. Olympic Trials and finished eighth at the Olympics.

Brown Trafton’s lengthy resumé also includes a title at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships and a  second-place finish at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

As a collegiate athlete, Brown Trafton was a six-time All-American at Cal Poly, including finishing second in the discus at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She was also a three time-Big West champion