“A visit to a friend studying in Europe sparked my interest in the world. After that trip, in addition to always plotting my next foreign adventure, I started to look at everything from a global perspective. I chose Kentucky's MBA program, in part, because it offered the option of a semester-long exchange in France. My classes at Grenoble's Ecole de Management were all internationally focused: International Accounting, International Finance, International Negotiation. They were challenging, fascinating, and fun. This was my professional niche. Business was great, but international business was even better. When I returned to Lexington, I entered the joint Patterson School Diplomacy/MBA program to acquire credentials for a global career.

My primary concentration at the Patterson School was international commerce. The small class sizes let me interact closely with faculty and classmates, while special programming connected us to current issues through seminars, conferences, speakers, and even field trips. One of my favorite trips was with an Agricultural Economics class to the World Bank's headquarters. These activities, combined with the group projects and presentations built into Patterson classes, prepared me perfectly my responsibilities at Bank of America.

As a VP in Global Liquidity Risk, I create and analyze reports for presentations on the firms' overall liquidity. We also run stress tests and work with regulators around the world on new liquidity regulations such as BASEL III. I use the skills I learned at the Patterson School every day – analytics, public speaking, problem solving, and cross-cultural awareness.

In addition to international commerce, I took economic development classes and learned quite a bit about microfinance. I remain very interested in this area and participate in the LEADers program at Women's World Banking. WWB is the only microfinance network with an explicit focus on women, serving 26 million clients with a $7 billion loan portfolio. Through LEADers, I attend special events and conferences on microfinance and can travel to meet clients and institutions in the WWB's network. My first visit was to Ghana, meeting with the central bank, local regulators, and clients that receive loans or have saving accounts with WWB network institutions. Next, I will join WWB on a similar trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Many people come to New York City with an MBA. I believe my dual Diplomacy/MBA degrees set me apart from other applicants and opened doors that might otherwise have remained shut.”

Update: In August 2014 Katie Kerr moved to Morgan Stanley in New York to become Vice President Treasury – Strategy and Operations. This followed an amazing year of service as a Kiva Fellow helping advance microfinance projects in Tanzania, the Philippines and Viet Nam.