About Katrina

Marketer, writer, teacher, trainer, coach, survivor.
My entire career has been spent writing, creating, directing, strategizing, planning, advising, teaching and learning in some capacity related to marketing, communication, or business. I've worked in various industries, holding leadership positions in marketing departments and agencies, including my own marketing/communications agency.
I've taught college courses in business communication, advertising, PR, persuasive writing (and much more) at Parkland College and the University of Illinois.
Then, my life suddenly changed.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer. With my family’s support and client's flexibility, I worked throughout treatment and began estrogen-blocking hormone therapy. I am currently NED (No Evidence of Disease) but I still have annual scans and Reclast drug infusions to repair the bone damage caused by hormone therapy. But I'm feeling good and joined a breast cancer survivor dragon boat team!
Still, I waited for the other shoe to drop.
Having lost my favorite aunt to cancer after three recurrences, I became vigilant and cautious. I was afraid to start anything I might not be able to...finish. After two recent scares, I reevaluated my life and goals. I want to be useful. What do I enjoy? What am I good at? How can I share my gifts, talents, and experience in an environment that also nurtures my soul? I needed to connect with people. Specifically, I needed to revisit my plan of developing training curriculum for young (or not) professionals.

I was a "judge" for 20 years.
II had freelanced for tED magazine and worked with NAED's PR director for two years when they learned about my marketing background. NAED's tED Magazine editor asked me to be a judge for their annual marketing competition. I accepted and served for the next 20 until 2025.

After leaving the University, I formed a plan.
Let's find out if I can help you.
If you think I can help you or members of your team, reach out using the form on the home page. We can have a free "getting to know you" Zoom consultation or personal meeting (within a reasonable drive). If you don't think I can help you or I don't think I can help you, I'll be on my way. No hard feelings. At the minimum, we'll both have a new connection — and you never know how that can benefit us both.
I loved teaching and especially the students, but missed helping clients one on one. So after 10 years I left academia to develop and deliver marketing and business training for working professionals, combining my passion for teaching with my experience. My plan was interrupted by a client that hired me to coach their marketing director and retained me for another four years to execute a complete marketing turnaround.

Education



Degrees



MA in Marketing Communication, Webster University



BS in Advertising, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Media





Certificates and Certifications



Certificate in Marketing Excellence, Marketing, University of Wisconsin School of Business



Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP), Digital Marketing Institute Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) in Digital Marketing, American Marketing Association



Citizen Scholar Certificate, Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)



Certificate in Technology-Enhanced Learning, CITL, UIUC



Teacher Scholar Certificate, (CITL), UIUC



Consistently included on the UIUC "Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students" (Not a certification, but more meaningful to me)

Topic List 
About Katrina
Katrina Olson
Clients
See a list of clients, past and present.
See a comprehensive list of subject matter and topics.
Learn more about Katrina, her experience, and background.
© Copyright 2025 Katrina Olson.. All rights reserved. All registered trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners.