Kristen Forecki (BBA ’05) feels at home working at a scrappy startup, but she’s equally comfortable taking on a role with one of the titans of technology. Her career has weaved in and out of both environments, which she says has been incredibly beneficial.
“In technology, it’s pretty common to go from established industry leaders to startups and vice versa,” she says. “I learn from each side.”
A rising star in the tech world, Kristen has driven significant growth for the companies she’s worked with and was named as a “40 Under 40” by the Puget Sound Business Journal. In her current role with Microsoft, she leads strategy projects addressing the company’s growth of core products. She says her role at Microsoft has elements of “intrapreneurship” that tap into her startup experience.
Kristen also says that the career prep and coaching she received at the Wisconsin School of Business were essential to putting her on her current career path. She found that experience so valuable that she later sought further career coaching as a working professional—an experience that ultimately led to her position at Microsoft.
“Life happens in chapters and you don’t have to be just one thing,” she says.