Hello from New Marketing Coordinator

Hello! I'm Katie Hurst, the new Marketing Coordinator for OpenSesame.

As a recent Portland transplant, I'm thrilled to be joining a company so well respected in the startup community. I originally heard about OpenSesame through an article on the Oregon Tech Awards, for which OpenSesame was nominated for Technology Company of the Year - Startup. Having facilitated Startup Weekend events all over the U.S. for the past two years, I was looking for the right opportunity to "practice what I preach" and go to work for a growing startup. As it turned out, OpenSesame was hiring and the Marketing Coordinator position proved the ideal role for my background.

Before moving to Portland, I served as Executive Director for Gangplank, a network of nonprofit collaborative workspaces providing resources and community for entrepreneurs and creatives alike. In addition to running the day-to-day operations, it was my privilege to execute programming for dozens of startup businesses, as well as hundreds of freelancers and hopeful entrepreneurs. Through this experience, I developed my love for technology and helping small businesses grow, a passion OpenSesame shares by simplifying online training for employers through its platform.

Of course, my passion for education and technology stretches much further back to my time with Teach for America. As a 7th grade history teacher for a Title I school on the Texas/Mexico border, I often had to improvise ways to expose my students to technology's educational qualities beyond their typical texting and Facebooking. I enjoyed researching cutting edge technologies and the challenge of applying them in the classroom. As a result, I'm every excited about the eLearning sector and its potential applications to multiple industries.

Despite my passion for following the tech scene, my guilty pleasures are slightly more archaic. When not wandering the halls of my local library due to my insatiable love of (gasp!) physical books, I can be found at home devouring old movies and replaying any of Aaron Sorkin's retired television dramas.

I look forward to getting to know the OpenSesame community members and experiencing the tremendous value of the educational marketplace we offer!

Headshot by Minkmade Photography