Kimberly Watkins

As an alum of Harvard Business and Kennedy Schools, I navigated multiple graduate degree admissions processes. I’ve worked with candidates who have successfully applied to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, and other top MBA programs. I started my career at Bain & Company and then worked in tech (biz ops and growth) before grad school. I have been closely involved in civic and public service opportunities including working at the US Treasury and serving as a State Delegate prior to school. While in my three-year MPP and MBA program, I worked in Venture Capital and Growth Equity investing at Norwest Venture Partners, Floodgate Ventures, and Summit Partners. I now run Growth Strategy @ Carta, a $7B tech co in Silicon Valley. I coach in my spare time because I love helping candidates distill their stories and present the best version of themselves to adcoms! When I applied, my partner was also interested in an MBA -- we wanted to maximize our chances of living in the same city during school, which led us to deeply research and contact admissions and alumni at all top 7 MBA programs to ensure we understood how we would be evaluated. After hundreds of hours of research myself, there is nothing I love more than being able to share that knowledge strategically & concisely with applicants. I particularly enjoy working with dual-degree candidates, candidates with public/non-profit sector experience and candidates interested in emerging tech and Venture Capital. As someone who applied with a partner, I can also speak to how various degree programs consider partner applications and strategy around managing dual-MBA families.