Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Elbisser.
Hi Katie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A hoosier born and raised, I attended Indiana University and was drawn to studies in marketing. But specifically the creative side of the category. The business classes that taught marketing in equations and numbers felt disingenuous. I preferred the emotions, the behavior – putting myself in the consumer’s shoes and creating from there. I’m not sure I was always so aware of it, but looking back, it seems I’ve always sought opportunities that allow me to play a role in connecting people and communities – often over a shared interest.
This theme will carry on throughout my career. I have worked in very traditional advertising environments on very traditional accounts, but that never held my attention or my passion for long. Often jumping to a more creative and well, non-traditional role. I’ve been a music promoter, helping to run local shows and also hosting a music festival at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado (one of the most prestigious music venues in the country). I ran marketing and brand experience for the fastest growing craft brewery in the nation’s history and was so fortunate to be there from the ground up. That experience truly allowed me to hone my brand experience skills and gave me the opportunity to speak on national levels as an expert in my field. From there, I went a little harder in the paint on brand experience back on the agency side. Here, I was able to broaden my experience with a rotating roster of clients and differing brand needs.
Then, COVID hit and I think like many people, I began craving more purpose in my day-to-day. Fortunately, one of my clients at the time was the Karen Wellington Foundation for LIVING with Breast Cancer. They were unlike any non-profit I’d ever met – they were lively and FUN, irreverent and rule-breaking – and most importantly everyone seemed to truly be there for the right reasons. At the same time, I was going through my own personal journey of being a caregiver for my fiance who had recently been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. The mission of KWF (to put fun back on the calendar for women & families LIVING with breast cancer) resonated with me as we had twice been gifted weekends away by friends who had vacation homes. Those short trips were life-changing – for our entire family. So, I dug my heels in and started volunteering with the foundation, got to know Kent Wellington and Alexia Zigoris (the current Executive Director of the foundation) and sprung a fast friendship and mentorship with them. The next thing I know, I’m joining the KWF team in a Marketing & Development role and I’m back to feeling fulfilled by the work I’m doing day in and day out. I’m getting to work with a small and scrappy team (the way I tend to prefer it) to make a positive impact on the lives of women and families in some of their most challenging times. To offer the chance to make some positive and happy memories in a time otherwise full of negativity and worry. To give women the opportunity to not be identified by their diagnosis, and for friends and family to see their loved one in the light they know them best.
I’m now the Executive Director of the Karen Wellington Foundation – part of a team of now 11 strong, caring, fun-loving women. I’m very aware of the amazing opportunity I’ve been given to work with such a truly amazing group of humans. All setting their own busy lives aside to show up for others. A team, board of directors, and stakeholders who are here for our recipients and also for one another – on a personal and professional level.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a road of rolling hills and a few U-turns. When I started out, the economy was taking a big hit and therefore the advertising world was a fairly risky place (turns out agency world is always a little bit of a risky place for career stability). I was laid off from my first agency gig but after finding a part time job to help with the bills, I went back to that same agency and asked for an unpaid internship in a different department. I’ve never been one to be paralyzed by a speed bump and I have to look back with some pride at how a younger me handled those situations.
Those same bumps in the road turned into some of the biggest career opportunities that would come my way – like pivoting from agency life to working in the music industry. An area I’m incredibly passionate about. Not two years after being let go due to the economy, I was one of three people planning a giant music festival with some of my all time favorite artists on the bill. I never would have had that opportunity had I not been let go. Or had I not been open to a less traditional route of life.
That maybe has been one of my biggest lessons and one I would give to anyone early in their career. If you approach life “by the book”, you’re missing out on a whole lot of potential and a tremendous amount of fun.
Think of it as a road trip. You can drive from point A to point B, stopping as rarely as possible to make the best time. OR, you can turn up the radio, roll down the windows, and be open to those wild roadside attractions.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At the Karen Wellington Foundation, we work to put fun BACK on the calendar for women & families living with breast cancer. We are an anti-cancer, cancer foundation. At KWF we understand that breast cancer does not define you, in fact, it is the least interesting thing about you. We recognize that life is better LIVED with FUN on the calendar and cancer is better when kicked to the curb.
Karen Wellington lived with cancer for 10 years, and she never once let it define her. Karen had no time for cancer or chemo. She had parties to attend, gigs to play, paintings to create and strangers to help along the way. Karen had a dream that once she beat cancer, each year her family would send another family LIVING with cancer on vacation. When she passed away in 2007, we made that dream of hers a reality. That is when the Karen Wellington Foundation for LIVING with Breast Cancer took flight. That first year, with the help of family and friends, KWF sent 1 family LIVING with cancer on a trip. Since 2007 KWF has gifted over 4,000 Gifts of FUN -spa days, backstage passes, skydiving excursions, weekend getaways, game-day tickets, hot air balloon rides and so much more.
While we hope that there is a cure that will one day put us out of business, we are focused on those women living with this diagnosis NOW. We believe all individuals in treatment are deserving of a break from all that cancer brings. Our team works individually with each nominee to ask “what does fun look like for you” – and then we work with our donors to make it all a reality.
We live by what we call a GIVE FIRST motto. This means that in every room we walk into (personally and professionally), we first ask how can we help someone in that community. Unfortunately, we know the odds – most everywhere we go there is someone who knows somebody currently having the worst year(s) of their life. We trust that the circle of giving will come back on the other end, but in the meantime we can make a difference NOW.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I honestly think that every single job I’ve had since my very first job has been due to having the right connection. Who you know is an increasingly important part of the job search. The digital and remote age have made it all too easy for employers to have an overflowing inbox of resumes – how will you ever cut through the noise? The best way is to have a referral, someone who can connect you directly with the right people on the inside, someone who can vouch for you.
Now, I say that but I haven’t historically gone about networking in the traditional ways (there’s a theme here, right?) In my 20’s and 30’s I wasn’t a regular at the normal networking happy hours or coffee connections – not that there is anything wrong with those. I guess I just connected with people in my community in an organic way. I approach life and people with curiosity
– I value my relationships immensely – and my personal connections have often proven fruitful career connections.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.karenwellingtonfoundation.org/main
- Instagram: kwfliving
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/karenwellingtonfoundation
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/karenwellingtonfoundation/posts/?feedView=all
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrsni_fcaOIS09YWYdjAWEQ
