Kelsey Bredbenner
California State University - East Bay, B.S.
On Growing Up
I've apparently always been wired to ask “how could this run better?” — I just didn't have a name for it yet. I competed in Division 1 soccer and rode horses growing up, but the clearest early example is probably my 4-H club, where I worked my way from secretary to treasurer to president over my tenure in the program. Watching (and eventually running) how a small group actually functions — the process, the record-keeping, the “making sure things don't fall through the cracks” of it all — I was hooked before I knew “operations” was a job.
On Forging a Career Path
My path to this role isn't the typical one, and I like it that way. What I've always been obsessed with is being hands-on — finding the inefficiency nobody's fixed yet, pulling it apart, and rebuilding it so it runs cleaner. I love to experiment. I love spotting the connection between two people or two problems that nobody else has made yet. Puzzles are really fun to me — give me something broken and I will not stop thinking about it until it's solved. Having my hands in a lot of different areas at once is what keeps me constantly engaged. I'm never bored, and I don't want to be.
On Working at Amplify
My role spans two sides of the firm: internal operations — onboarding, compliance, CRM hygiene, and tooling — and portfolio support, where I work directly with our companies on improving strategic partnerships, warm introductions, and buyer programs. I provide executive assistant support to Sarah, and get to work closely with the broader team along the way. I love being deeply immersed in my work, and the mix of internal and portfolio-facing projects keeps things endlessly interesting.
On Life Outside of Work
Outside of work I'm a boy mom, and most of my “free time” goes toward endurance sports — I run ultra marathons, have dabbled in 70.3 triathlons, and am currently training for my first HYROX. If it gets me outside, I'm in — I also love traveling and trying things I've never done before. At home, we've got a Lab, a German Shepherd, and a small flock of chickens keeping things lively.