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IBM Magazine Singles Out Kirsten Craft '94

Kirsten Craft, a member of Washington and Lee’s Class of 1994, is one of six women profiled in a special Women in Technology section of IBM Systems Magazine this month.

Kirsten is executive vice president of software and consulting for Software Information Systems (SIS), a technology company headquartered in Lexington, Ky. She started with SIS in 2000 as a project manager and, under her leadership, SIS has become recognized as one of the top software partners in the region by both IBM and Microsoft. She also serves on IBM’s North American Advisory Council for software.

A journalism and mass communications major, Kirsten had intended to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. But, as she told the IBM Systems Magazine, she didn’t feel challenged as a reporter and gravitated toward IT, pursuing sales jobs with some small software companies. “I’m a logical thinker, very process-focused, and good at managing projects that focus on efficiency, so from that perspective, IT is a natural fit for me.”

Asked what advice she would give to young girls considering IT-related careers, Kirsten said: “Be open-minded…I’ve found that you really don’t know what you want to do until you start doing something….”