Caliber COO Kristie Galvani, a Long Islander who is both a lacrosse and travel enthusiast, recently sat down with Kate Forster, Caliber’s culture manager, to talk about her career in fintech and financial services PR and her recent promotion to being Caliber’s first COO. Read on to learn more about Kristie, who joined Caliber in 2021, in this Staff Spotlight interview.

Kate: Where do you consider “home”? What is special about it?

Kristie: Long Island, New York. I was born and raised on Long Island (and yes, we say “on”) and now I am raising my family here. I love it because you really get to experience all four seasons and because of the convenience of the location. You are super close to the ocean, close to the city and not too far from the mountains. 

Kate: What non-work activities inspire you? How do you prefer to spend your free time?

Kristie: I love to spend time with my family, and that includes watching a ton of lacrosse. Both my boys play lacrosse for their school teams and travel teams. One is a goalie, one is an attack. I will say that I knew nothing about it growing up, but now it’s become one of my favorite things to watch my kids play a sport that they love.

I also love to try and spend some me time whenever possible. Whether that’s using my Peloton, going for acupuncture or getting a pedicure.

Kate: If you had to include one ingredient in every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

Kristie: I love butter. Butter makes everything better, let’s just be honest.

Kate: What’s your favorite movie and/or book?

Kristie: This is always a tough one for me. I’m going to give you my top three movies. They are “Home Alone,” “Almost Famous” and “Wedding Crashers” (in no particular order).

Kate: Which historical figure do you most admire?

Kristie: I would probably say Martin Luther King, Jr., because he believed in something and he really fought for it. He was dedicated, passionate and self-starting.

Kate: What’s one of your nicknames and how did you get it?

Kristie: Most of the team knows my nickname is DJ Special K. I was a DJ for the college radio station and I did the morning show from 7 am to 10 am, so my tagline was “Start your day with Special K.”

Kate: What’s something your colleagues don’t know about you?

Kristie: I’m a huge klutz. Not only was I named “Biggest Klutz” in high school and college, but I’ve been to the emergency room 16 times to date. 

Kate: Name one thing that amazes you about working with clients in fintech, financial services and our other verticals?

Kristie: I love working with clients in this space because I truly believe that they are helping to make a difference when it comes to innovation, access, convenience and literacy around finance.

Kate: When you think about your time at Caliber, which career accomplishment or milestone makes you feel most proud (aside from your promotion to COO)?

Kristie: Being submitted by Caliber and selected for the 2022 Top Women Awards by PRNEWS for mentorship. One of my favorite things about what I do is being able to mentor others and help people to succeed in their career paths, so I was very honored to be recognized for this.

Kate: What has you most excited about your position as Caliber’s first COO? 

Kristie: Being able to make an even larger contribution to a company that absolutely cares about its people, a place where I get to do what I love at an agency I love.

Kate: What are you looking to accomplish in your new role?

Kristie: Helping Grace and Harvey fulfill their vision of ensuring we deliver the best possible employee and client experience by ensuring we have the strongest team members, who feel appreciated, supported and respected.

Kate: What is your favorite part of being a professor in Caliber’s College of Public Relations (CCPR) program?

Kristie: This goes back to mentorship… Just being able to help our up-and-coming leaders continue to grow and fine tune their PR and client relationship skills. I’ve been lucky enough to learn from some of the best and brightest, and I love the opportunity to give back. 

Kate: What’s your favorite thing about working at Caliber?

Kristie: I get to work with great team members who are passionate and curious, and clients who are really making a difference in the financial space.

Kate: What’s your favorite Caliber perk?

Kristie: I’m going to go with our unlimited PTO policy. My father always taught me to work hard, play hard. I love that Caliber gives me the opportunity to take advantage of our unlimited PTO and go on vacations, while knowing that I can actually unplug and rely on my teammates to keep everything moving.