Page 28 - MidJersey Business - May 2014

MAKING

IT HAPPEN
KRISTEN BALLINGER

“I bring a fresh outlook. I think it’s

particularly important for young

professionals to view challenges as

opportunities and face stress head

on. It’s the thick skin you develop

from these situations that enables

you to continually grow and move

forward as a professional.”

he’s always been at the right place at the

right time. Kristen Ballinger lived in
Ohio all her life, but after she graduated

college, that changed in the form of a
position at the Denver oice of Arthur

SAndersen. Ballinger wanted to go to Colorado and
happened to meet her future husband on a plane.

“You just never know where life takes you,” she says.
“I always planned things in advance. And here I was

now, far away from home, I had married this man, an

Air Force pilot, and we traveled from base to base. I
ended up consulting wherever we were, which really

worked out for me.” In addition to Arthur Andersen,
Ballinger consulted in transformational change

and system implementation for Accenture and
Hitachi Consulting. When her husband transferred

to McGuire AFB, she ended up consulting with
Otsuka, then came on board in 2010. Ballinger says

the skills she developed in those 10-12 years in a con-
stantly changing process served her well. “People are

naturally resistant to change,” she says. “It’s human
nature. But the key is building relationships, getting

leaders on board with your idea, so when you bring it
to a larger audience, it’s more likely to be

embraced.”
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF
Still, Ballinger has always embraced the
R&D FINANCE AND HR
opportunities change brings. She’s been Otsuka Pharmaceuticals

the engaging type. In college, she was the Age: 35
president of her sorority, vice president of
Education: Ohio University;
the student body, and involved in the cor-
receiving an MBA from

Columbia University

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