Meet Kirsten
Photo credit: Brenda Piekarski
Sociologist and Professional Educator Specializing in Local Business Support
As a sociologist and professional educator with results-driven, research-based project management experience, I blend traditional social science research methods and contemporary UX techniques to help small businesses understand client pain points and improve the client experience.
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Who I Am​
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I am a tenured sociology professor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and have been teaching there for over 20 years. My main course load includes Introduction to Sociology, Gender in Society, Sociology of Food, Social Inequalities, and Relationships, Marriage & Family. I love teaching and have honed my skills in delivering course content to adult learners, but I miss the real-world benefits of applied sociological research, which is what KO Consulting is all about.
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My educational background includes a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio where I studied sociology, with a focus on organizational change. Before graduate school, I attended the University of Minnesota, Morris (Morris, MN) double-majoring in sociology and human services, the International People’s College (Helsingør, Denmark), and Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA). Most recently, I started taking courses to complete the Design of User Experience graduate certificate program at Metropolitan State University. Interested in learning more about my background? Click to see my resumé.​​
How I Can Help
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Think your project is too small? Think again. A project doesn’t need to be overly complex and extraordinarily expensive to have an impact.
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At KO Consulting, I’ll work with you to create and implement a research plan that will help us understand how your business can more effectively meet your clients’ needs. From budget-friendly ‘KO Audits’ to more extensive research strategies, every client I work with ends with a clear list of manageable recommended action items.
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Overwhelmed with too many unfinished tasks? I also offer follow-up/accountability services to help business owners identify and stay focused on completing tasks that lend themselves to procrastination. This service falls under the KO Audit structure and is based on collaborative work sessions where we focus on needs assessment, goal setting, and creating an accountability plan.​​​​
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I look forward to meeting you and seeing if the time is right for us to work together so that you can get your project off of your to-do list!​​
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