Business Women Awards 2019 | HONOREE |
Kristin Urbach, North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce
Kristin Urbach has been executive director of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce for four years. She’s quickly made her mark as a strong organizer, marketer, fundraiser and connector.
She’s credited with broadening the scope and ramping up the size of the Taste of the NK Chamber, for example, partnering with R.I. Airport Corp. for the annual food and beverage event. Attendance quadrupled and revenue climbed 300%, she said.
Whether building partnerships for Chamber projects or fostering connections for others, Urbach is known for linking like-minded people who would benefit from knowing each other.
“I have a unique opportunity to hear from businesses and communities about what they are seeking. I make a point of connecting people,” she said. “It’s something I learned in developmental leadership in Washington, D.C.”
Now she’s using those skills in her home state.
A graduate of Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich and Sweet Briar College in Virginia, Urbach was director of human resources for the American Enterprise Institute, a political think tank, where she worked for 10 years.
“At AEI … I was instrumental in hiring White House and ambassador staff for scholars,” she said. “It’s where I was really able to develop my leadership skills.”
She rose through the ranks in the Junior League of Washington during this time, becoming its president in 2007.
Urbach served as the George Washington University Hospital’s director of service excellence in Washington, D.C. There she oversaw patient-service programs for a facility with 1,900 employees and more than 800 physicians.
She went on to lead member services at the Bristol-based United States Sailing Association and product marketing for a global telehealth company, before starting at the Chamber in 2015.
Along the way, Urbach said she learned a few things about being organized and being effective in whatever role she is serving in.
“I am a multitasking, list person,” she said. “I do my homework.”
The Chamber represents more than 400 businesses in South County, nearly all of them small businesses, Urbach said. Along with her team, she has increased Chamber revenue significantly, including gains in annual golf-tournament revenue and in membership.
Though the Ocean State and the nation’s capital seem very different, there are similarities, Urbach said. “In both areas … there [is] a very engaged group of political officials. People are proactive and wanting to improve.”
Urbach has led a Shop Small campaign in the community, and she is leading its efforts to help create an offshore wind-energy career pathway.
A talent pipeline is a priority, Urbach said, especially with [Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind] announcing 50 permanent and 800 construction jobs to be created with its Revolution Wind project. Ports in North Kingstown and Providence will share in the work and related jobs.
The team at the Chamber secured an R.I. Department of Labor and Training grant last August, to help ready a talent pipeline for wind-energy work.
“We support Real Jobs RI to develop … job opportunities for the offshore wind-energy sector in the state,” she said.
