Host Company: ExactTarget
Current Company: Careerable

“When I started at my Orr Fellowship company, ExactTarget, my first role was in the company’s rotational program. Like many others, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do and liked the thought of exploring different types of work. I ultimately landed in Human Resources and started with College Recruiting. I loved that job so much but my boss (wisely) encouraged me to explore other areas of HR to keep developing. From there, I worked in employee relations and then talent management and was able to watch incredible leaders build a best place to work. Being in HR at a company during a time of exponential growth taught me a lot about the importance of hiring for fit and how creating a culture that emphasizes employee development truly drives high levels of engagement – especially for Millennials.” 

Katie continued to work at ExactTarget even after the Fellowship, taking her talents to leadership development, performance management and new employee onboarding. She was a cofounder of the women’s group, ExactWIN, which grew to over 300 members during her time there. Her love for philanthropy extended outside of work and she became a board member at Indy Reads, a local nonprofit that helps adults get to a 6th grade reading level (and beyond).

“All of these experiences [with the Fellowship] helped prepare me for what I’m doing today. When it was time to start a family I wanted a way to continue to grow my skills while gaining more control over my schedule. This is when I started my company Careerable, a brand that allows me to do boutique career coaching for 20-and-30 somethings and also HR consulting. The foundational network both the Fellowship and ExactTarget laid for me allowed me to, eight years later, build a referral driven coaching business.”

An advocate for the city of Indianapolis, Katie spoke to the city’s rebirth as a tech hub for the Midwest:

“Indianapolis is a hot bed for technology and entrepreneurship and the support network in a smaller, friendlier city like Indy allows young talent to try things they normally wouldn’t have. The network continues to deepen – I love re-connecting with Orr alums; the comfort level is similar to that of high school friends and the caliber of talent and success is so impressive, it only makes you want to continue to up your game.”