Kristen Jacobsen

As Catalyst’s Managing Director, Kristen serves as senior consultant and talent broker for the firm, bringing with her the knowledge of Catalyst past, present and future.

A consultant with Catalyst Consulting Team since 1989, Kristen brings clients a passion to link executive presence and interpersonal savvy with strategic thinking and building motivated teams to produce business results. Kristen coaches leaders and teams from different cultures and disciplines and provides perspective that they can apply to help their organizations manage tough times as well as good ones.

Her career has centered in Silicon Valley working with Bay Area firms at all stages of development, from pre-IPO to Fortune 500 companies. An innovative designer of learning and transformation, Kristen has led leadership, teamwork and change initiatives from Finland to New Zealand. As an external consultant, Kristen has worked with nearly every industry, from internet commerce to hospice. Always committed to connecting business and personal dynamics, Kristen currently serves as core faculty on leadership programs for eBay, PayPal and The American Leadership Forum.

B.A. Creative Arts/Photography, University of California Santa Cruz
M.A. Applied Behavioral Sciences, Leadership Institute of Seattle at City University
Post Graduate Education: With Diana Smith of Action Design, mentored and served as adjunct faculty with Action Design in Boston on Strategic Dialogue Skills, 1995-2000
Stanford University Graduate School of Business: Master Coach for Leadership Coaching and Interpersonal Dynamics and Executive Education Courses, 2002-2007

Kristen’s continued ability to link a client’s personal potential with the desired business impact makes her a valued coach and colleague. She lives in Santa Cruz California, navigating the whitewater of parenting her teenage son and daughter, and making time for enjoying music and surfing big cold waves.