About Kristin Andress

Kristin Andress is President and owner of Andress Consulting. The firm, based in Solana Beach, California, offers services to enable business growth, improved operations management, and effective leadership. As a consultant, Andress focuses on overall organizational and individual effectiveness through strategic planning and implementation, process improvement, leadership assessment, marketing and communication plans (and tools). She also offers writing of business plans, whitepapers and crafting of marketing messages. Clients include start up and seasoned businesses, business owners and organizations.

For the past 4-1/2 years Andress has worked with S. Graham & Associates (SGA), a Chicago-based management and marketing consulting firm specializing in the corporate and educational markets. For Stedman Graham, CEO, Andress has developed education programs and new products, created business and operational plans, crafted marketing messages and sales materials, and generated and managed new business accounts. Through SGA, Andress has had involvement or association with Merrill Lynch, CVS Pharmacy, Alticor, the 7-11 Education is Freedom Foundation, the Tiger Woods Learning Center, Pearson Scott Foresman, Foxwoods Casino and more. Andress has also managed aspects of media relations, book tours and media campaigns corresponding with Mr. Graham’s efforts to serve individuals, businesses and communities.

While residing in Springfield, IL, Andress enjoyed a diverse client base of local businesses including award winning organizations such as FloraScape, and e-websmart, as well as the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Dana Pfeiffer Paint Studio, Making Waves, and Alpha and Omega Couriers.

Prior to launching her consulting practice, Andress enjoyed a 10-year career with Arthur Andersen, serving as the Director of Tax and Legal – Performance and Learning. She led global operations of a fifty-two person team in the United States and had coordination oversight of 25 people in Cambridge, England and Asia/Pacific. In addition to overall operations management, her responsibilities included participation in the development and implementation of a Global Performance Strategy in cooperation with human resources, strategy, knowledge management and technology professionals. She also participated in the development of a competency-based curriculum for 15,000, cultivation of strategic alliances worldwide, ensuring quality delivery of technical skills in strategic planning, eLearning, communication planning and process standardization, and managed a multi-million dollar budget.

In addition to her directorship responsibilities at Andersen, Andress created an Organizational Development team to improve clients’ productivity and service, and served as a Quality Coach, implementing total quality management principles during a reorganization to implement a vision focusing on internal processes, people, leadership, service delivery and products and services. She was also responsible for benchmarking, setting performance measures, and acting as zealot for continuous improvement.

While living in Springfield, IL, Andress was actively involved in the Springfield community. She was on the Board of Directors for the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and is a previous board member of the Springfield Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Serving as Membership Chairperson as well as consultant to NAWBO, Andress helped lead efforts to triple the membership and qualify the Springfield chapter within the top 5 recruiters in the nation. For her efforts in business and community, Andress was awarded the Chamber of Commerce Small Home Based Business Owner of the Year Award in 2005, and was inducted into Forty Under Forty. She is a former a member of the National Association of Female Executives and a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

Andress has authored three books, The Difference, First Out and If I Had A Dime, though has not pursued publishing, wishing first to write the novel that serves her standard for a debut. Through her business, she provides freelance writing, including Web content, white papers, business cases, reports, and newsletters. She also serves as a public speaker to various women’s and business groups and in the area schools.

Andress holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication/Human Relations from Western Illinois University and a master’s degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia.