It comes down to people and how similar we are. They can be in remote villages in the Balkans, a holler in West Virginia or a neighborhood in upper Manhattan. Ultimately, though, people want someone to look them in the eye, care enough to listen and be thoughtful about what gets shared. And when I’m living and working this way, I’m always having my best day. For the past 25+ years, I’ve lived and worked internationally and domestically, in the nonprofit and for profit worlds. I’ve run the gamut from rural development to bond finance. Today, I’m fortunate to work with an organization that brings me into close and consultative relationships with community leaders across the country, and I get to do this work with people who truly know how to connect, listen and learn with their clients. On paper, we spend our time on “finance,” but in reality, we are supporting leaders to make critical mission-driven decisions that affect the lives of many people. It’s an honor every day.
Bio: Kristin leads NFF’s national Client Services practice, which delivers a wide variety of financing and consulting services to NFF’s community-centered clients, funders, and investors across the US. She leads a team of 50 that bring grounded perspectives along with innovative capital and capacity to organizational, sector, and systems-levels challenges. Kristin oversees a financing portfolio of over $429 million and she brings 30 years of experience in the nonprofit and finance sectors to her work. Throughout her career, she has focused on strategic and management support for frontline organizations and financing for both nonprofit and for-profit enterprises.
Prior to joining NFF, Kristin was a Vice President at Citigroup Global Markets, where she managed bond financings for various financial institutions and governmental clients, both domestic and international. Kristin came to Citigroup after an initial career in the nonprofit sector, where she worked for over eight years for the international nonprofit organization, Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance. While working in international development, Kristin served as a multi-country Program Officer in Washington, DC and as a Country Director in Albania, managing technical assistance programs for small businesses and nonprofit associations. Kristin earned a master’s degree in public affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Kenyon College. Kristin brings her experience to various boards, including Board Chair of The Access Challenge, a pan Africa public health organization, and as an Independent Member of the American Bank of Investments, a private bank in Albania.
Listen to Kristin talk about the importance of cultivating relationships on the Craft of Consulting Podcast.
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