Tag: Get to Know

Katalyst is excited to welcome Jenny Burke, bringing her finance and accounting background to supporting our recruiters with the very best vetted candidates. Jenny also works directly with candidates in presenting their qualifications and identifying career goals and interests. Having had direct experience serving in finance and accounting roles, Jenny appreciates the very skills candidates need for specific roles organizations are seeking to fill. Her readiness to accept new challenges and positive can-do attitude is a welcomed addition to the Katalyst team.

In an interview, Jenny (JB) shares with Katalyst Group (KG) more about her background and new role as project manager.

KG: What role do you play in your current position as an executive recruiter?

JB: My role is focused on supporting the efforts of the executive recruiters. I review, edit, and format resumes provided by the candidates before they are presented to our clients. In addition, after a discussion with the recruiter, I prepare a description and summary of candidate qualifications, candidate motivations for seeking the position, salary desired, and other information which is provided to the client along with the candidate resume.  

KG: What excites you in the work you do?

JB: Our clients are looking to make a positive impact to their organization by finding just the right candidate. Our candidates are seeking to make a positive life change by finding the right fit in a new organization. I am excited to help our clients and candidates along this process, resulting in a positive outcome for both.  

KG: What led you to this job?

JB: The ability to apply my accounting and finance background towards understanding candidates’ goals and interests – and have a new role where I am not creating financial statements and filing tax returns! 

KG: What attracted you to work for Katalyst Group?

JB: A positive and collaborative team environment. 

KG: Where did you grow up and where did you go to college?

JB: I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I have an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana and master’s degrees in Finance from De Paul University and Taxation from Northern Illinois University.  

KG: Did you have any key mentors or people who inspired you in becoming the person you are today, both in work and life?

JB: I have encountered many people during my career who have inspired me along the way. Key people would be my graduate advisor who pushed me to do my best work while completing my master’s degree in tax, as well as some patient mentors who tutored me in financial systems and data analytics.  

KG: Did you have any life-shaping experiences that put you on the path that led you to what you’re doing today?

JB: During my career, when seeking a new position as a job candidate, I have worked with many executive recruiters. I have felt that many of them did not make the effort to get to know me or present me in a positive way to an organization. I can relate to being in the position of a job candidate, and now working at Katalyst, I want to strive every day to provide our candidates with the very best experience possible.  

KG: What is a particularly memorable event in your life?

JB: Particularly memorable events include the days that my two daughters were born as well as the day that I met my husband at the Univ of IL during a dorm party in our junior year of college.  

KG: What show(s) are you currently watching or what book(s) are you currently reading?

JB: Anything to do with European history. Really enjoy watching docudramas and YouTube programs on the Russian Revolution, Queen Victoria, and of course The Crown! 

KG: What is something that you have done that surprised you or those that know you well?

JB: In my previous life I was an archery champion and medal winner.  

KG: What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

JB: I have a B.S. in Microbiology and my first job out of college was in a Biogenetics lab.  

KG: What’s your favorite vacation spot or place you dream of retiring to?

JB: I love to go anywhere warm, especially in the winter. A favorite vacation spot is Hawaii, can’t beat the weather and the scenery is awesome, especially Volcano National Park! London and its museums are also high on my list.

A passion to make a positive difference in people’s lives, Jane Hudson re-enters the recruiting field after spending 20 years in corporate accounting. With a background in middle management, Jane is closely familiar with both the type of professionals organizations are seeking and the qualities individuals value most in their next career move. Like Kevin and the Katalyst Group team, Jane believes in real relationship-building with organizations and candidates.

She starts with taking the time to get to know what is important and then goes from there in finding the right fit. As a life-long learner, Jane is committed to developing her own skill set and supports candidates in growing their career.

“Jane’s background in accounting coupled with expertise hiring and mentoring accounting professionals will allow her to deliver tremendous impact to those we represent.”

Kevin Kaye, Principal, Katalyst Group

Jane earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. In her free time, Jane enjoys reading, spending time with her husband, beach vacations and watching her son play college baseball.  Connect with Jane on LinkedIn.

As Katalyst Group continues to grow and invest in our current and future clients, we are pleased to announce our latest hire Catie Burke in her new role as Manager of Business Development. Catie makes it a priority to get to know her clients’ needs and goals while also partnering together to develop value-driven solutions.  In an interview, Catie (CB) shares with Katalyst Group (KG) her passions and enthusiasm for developing business relationships.

KG: What role do you play in your current position?

CB: I am a Business Development Manager for Katalyst Group. I work with the founder Kevin to identify new business opportunities and spread the word about the great services that Katalyst Group offers.

KG: What excites you in the work you do?

CB: The opportunity to solve problems and help others make their way into their dream positions. A lot of people have been laid off this year and along with that there are also new positions opening up every day. Many businesses also just really need help finding the right person for a position and I’m excited to get a jump on this opportunity. 

KG: What led you to this job?

CB: I was working as an Account Executive for a travel management company. Due to Covid-19, I decided to take some time off just to reevaluate where I wanted to go with my career. A close friend of mine/neighbor actually recommended me for this position with Kevin at Katalyst Group.  

KG: What attracted you to work for Katalyst Group?

CB: The Katalyst Group team is great to work with, and I really identify with the company values. They will go the extra ‘yard’ to make sure that they’re presenting companies with a vetted list of quality candidates to ensure that the position is filled by the organizations’ expectations. 

KG: Where did you grow up and where did you go to college?

CB: I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. After High School I attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and studied Hospitality and Tourism Management. It was fantastic and I wish I could go back and do it 5 times over. Every few years my boyfriend and I go back for breakfast club (if you know, you know). During my sophomore year of college my parents were relocated to St. Paul, MN. So when I graduated I moved up to MN for a few months and worked up there until relocating back to Chicago for my first real job after college.  

KG: Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in and what you’re committed to in your work and life?

CB: My mother has definitely influenced me a lot in my work and life. Ironically enough she is a CPA, along with half of my family. I ended up being the black sheep that went into sales and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. My mom has always been there to support me in my decisions and offer an outside perspective whenever I need it. 

KG: Did you have any life-changing experiences that put you on the path that led you to be doing what you’re doing today?

CB: I can now say that I’ve lived through a pandemic and that has directly impacted me in where I am today. I am very happy with this career move though.

KG: What is the most memorable event in your life?

CB: I have a 2-year-old corgi and I can say the day I picked up his potato-sized self from the breeder will always be the most memorable.  

KG: What show(s) are you currently watching or what book(s) are you currently reading?

CB: I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to tv shows, so if it’s any kind of historical drama I’ve probably binged watched it in one day. Some of my favorites are The Crown, Victoria, The Queen’s Gambit, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, The English Game. I promise I do like non-nerdy things too like South Park, Succession, and It’s always Sunny in Philadelphia.

KG: What is something that you have done that surprised you or those that know you well?

CB: I went into quarantine back in March of 2020 with the idea of learning a new language, here we are in October and I’m almost in B level (intermediate) German! I took about 9 years of Spanish in school but to this day I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere near fluent. It surprised me that I could really get a handle on a new language. 

KG: What’s a little-known fact about yourself?

CB: Maybe not the littlest known fact but I love baking. More specifically bread but I make a mean sourdough.

KG: What’s your favorite vacation spot or place you dream of retiring to?

CB: My favorite place in the entire world is Iceland. To me it’s probably the closest you can get to another planet geography-wise. We’ve been a few times, but my boyfriend and I have a grand plan of renting a camper van and just driving around the entire country for a few weeks. Aside from that I’d love to live/retire in Germany, I went 2 years ago and just fell in love with the country. Connect with Catie on LinkedIn.