All in all, The Agency was an...

At The Underground Agency, we understand that going to college and planning for your future career can seem scary, overwhelming, and confusing - especially if you are a first-generation student. This is why we promise to provide our students with economic empowerment to transform them into Agents of Economic Empowerment. But what does it mean to provide students with economic empowerment?

It means providing them with the skills, knowledge, and connections they need to take control and create the life that they want - professionally, financially, and emotionally. A life that is built around continuous learning and passing on what we learn. And that is what Kristin Parrott is all about. I am incredibly grateful that I had a chance to reconnect with Kristin to see how she was doing and how much she has grown since our 360º Force Awakening Ignite Event during which she networked with many of our Agents of Economic Empowerment in April 2019.

David: How are you doing, Kristin? I can't believe it has been over two years since you graduated in May 2019!

Kristin: I am doing good and very busy!!! It's been a weird past year and a half with COVID. But after graduating in May 2019:

• I took a full time role at Procter & Gamble as a Site Integrated Planner;
• I renovated my first home;
• Adopted a (3rd) dog;
• Traveled some gorgeous places (Northern & Southern CA, NYC, Maui, Nashville);
• Earned 2 promotions at Procter & Gamble (Initiative Operations Leader into being a Supply Chain Manager);
• Sold our first home & bought our second;
• Finally got married.

David: It is still you, though. Organized and using bullets. Anyway, that's truly amazing what you have accomplished in just two years in the midst of a pandemic. You just forgot to mention that you bought your second home in our town of Fort Thomas and that your step son is going to the same class as my Ellie. It's really funny because Stefanie Brown's and Michael Sheehan's kids are also going to the same school. Seeing you all where my kids are is priceless. Well, we are not here to talk about me. Please, tell me a little bit more about your job and what it entails because it sounds really important, especially now when supply chains are....well...stuck? 

Kristin: I work in the Feminine Care business unit of P&G. Right out of college I took a role as a Site Integrated Planner (SIP) where I was helping plan production and ordering of materials from vendors/suppliers. In addition - I had the unique opportunity to help integrate a newly acquired P&G business (This is L, acquired in Feb 2019) into P&G! This business was very much a "start up" for P&G so I was able to support our small team to run the social media channels for L. on top of my daily work as a SIP too. I was promoted after 6 months to become a Initative Operations Leader - in short in this role I supported all new product launches as a project manager for the L. business as well as Ivy (which is a new product launching in Spring of 2022). I was just promoted again in April of 2021 to become a Supply Chain Manager for a new business in Feminine Care (Always Liners) - in this I will be monitoring customer orders and making sure that our plants are producing what we need when the customer needs it! 

David: Wow! That sounds like a lot, especially with the ongoing supply chain troubles around the globe. On the other side, it seems like a great position to use your super powers such as project and time management! What do you like about your job?

Kristin: Since I am incredibly new to my role (just started officially transitioning in July), I will speak on my previous role that I am phasing out of (Initiative Operations Leader). This role is an amazing role to have on your resume. You gain a lot of project management experience, it is very fast paced, a lot of cross functional teamwork, and is interesting! The role allows you to see what products are going to be put on shelf and launched to consumers before anyone else! You also get a crash course in how a thought gets turned into a reality from the idea. Being an Initiative Operations Leader at P&G is a challenging role (which I love) because everyday is different, you're able to really leverage all of your expertise. Daily!

David: I really hope all of our Marketing Associate Apprentices and Consumer Insights Analyst Rookies read this. It may help them understand why we push them so hard to improve their project management and collaboration skills...and stretch their resilient growth mindset to the limits. You know that first hand because you helped us with lots of projects, including the one for Frontier Airlines. After all, we get hired for who we are and what we can do. So, what did it take to get that job? 

Kristin: To originally get the position at P&G it took me four months and 3 interviews. I definitely got discouraged during this waiting time and found myself looking up P&G'ers on LinkedIn that I could connect with to get me in. Overall, it was a very strenuous process. It took a lot of networking and dedication to get to the spot I wanted to be in!

David: Now you see why we wanted you to revamp and build up your LinkedIn profile on top of all the projects you had to do for us while you were one of our Marketing Associate Apprentices and Shadows. Which reminds of how you discovered you wanted to pursue that job (i.e., career). You were a marketing major, not a supply chain major.

Kristin: Funny enough, I didn't! I took the original opportunity as a co-op at P&G as I had a dream to work for the company. After taking the role, I was able to learn about an area that I had not previously worked in before and was able to use the opportunity as a machine for growth. The job that I am currently sitting in will provide me with the necessary leadership skills that I can continue to leverage as I move upward in my career.

David: This is so interesting. We have just finished another project for Taylor North at P&G. When our Consumer Insights Analysts finished presenting them, we talked about her career. She also took a position that was not aligned with her interest in marketing and branding but she took it to get in. She started in HR. Today, she is doing what she wanted. She is a Senior Brand Manager. You both share the same experience at The Underground Agency but also at NKU. How did NKU help you get where you are?

Kristin: NKU provided me with a foundation where I could earn my degree, while being actively supported by the administration and my professors. I was able to leverage the guidance from my professors in order to hone in on really where my passions lay. In addition, when I was looking for an internship I relied on the NKU Career Services to help me gain the necessary contacts to network further with P&G contacts.

David: I am so happy that you keep referring to networking. We talked about that with Taylor too. Yet, so few of our students have the courage to dive into it and start doing it early on, even though we keep talking about it as it is in the heart of The Underground Agency. Speaking of that, you were with us for almost two years in all three roles–Consumer Insights Analyst, Marketing Associate, and Shadow Apprentice. What role did we play in your education and career-readiness?

Kristin: The Agency provided me with real life presentation experience and the ability to better analyze data. In addition - it further supported to grow my leadership abilities. All in all The Agency was an INCREDIBLE, RESUME-BUILDING EXPERIENCE!!!

David: Love the term resume-building experience. We need to throw that into our brand equity pyramid. I will need to ask Emily Coy, our volunteering copywriter, to look into that. I know you are busy so let me dive into my last question (even though I think I know what you will say). If you could give your younger self three pieces of advice, what would they be?

Kristin: My three pieces of advice would be very simple:

• Listen more;
• Be patient and;
• Keep networking (it'll get you somewhere)!

David: I knew it you would come back to networking. THANK YOU! Finally, what is in your future? 

Kristin: I'd love to get back to my big passion, which is brand management. Longer term - I'd love to own my own company, or become a CEO of an established start up. I have a laid out plan to achieve getting there, so I just need to stay dedicated to my goals. In addition, I'd love to move to Southern California in a few years - so I take every step that I am making in my career/life into account to make sure I am set up to make my dreams come true!

David: Not surprise with that. I have always thought of you as a person with strong and healthy ambitions! I know, deep inside, that you are as purpose-driven and people-oriented "brand" as we are. I have no doubt you will achieve your dream! And we will always be here to cheer for you and ready to help you in anyway we can. Right now, we can only say that we look forward seeing you on November 30th and hope you talk to Taylor soon...she knows very well what it took to get to brand management position. You can also reach to Kristen Ballinger, Marketing Communications Manager at AleSmith Brewing Company in sunny San Diego. By the way, she is coming back as a client for our Strategic Decision Making in Marketing Program (MKT 480) in Spring 2022! I have already started tasting their brews:) Thank you, Kristin, and see you soon!K