Celebrating Kristene

By Caliber Creative

This month marks the fifth year that Kristene Watkins, our esteemed art director, has been slinging smart designs and creative campaigns at Caliber. We celebrated her milestone with a fun recap of her career (so far) and then came the best part – gifts!

(Kristene will be taking her brand new bike on a grand adventure in the Black Hills this summer.)

Now, in honor of her anniversary, here is what we would write in Kristene’s Caliber yearbook, if we had such a thing. It’s all the admiration and good times minus the scribbled chaos. (We’ve also included some throwback photos!)

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Kristene for quite a few years in a couple different scenarios. It was pretty obvious early on that not only was she an incredibly talented designer, but just a genuinely great person to be around. I could go on and on about her talent and creativity, but I think having her in our office to help lead our team, our company and our culture is what makes Kristene so special. We’re very lucky to have her on staff and we appreciate everything she contributes to our success. –Casey

Kristene has been awesome to work with over the past five years. She is always willing to take on any project and help out where needed, going above and beyond on every project. I’ve enjoyed having a twin birthday with her and indulging in pasta followed by huge desserts. (Also – I’ve learned not to set Rolos on her desk.) –Kelly

Working with Kristene is incredible. She brings the daily knowledge and design skills that our team of creative professionals can lean on to make our projects the best. She’s like our very own Wonder Woman – quiet, fearless and pretty strong. –Brad

Kristene is the definition of calm, cool, and collected. She has shown me how to handle good, bad and unpredictable feedback with ease. She has taught me to totally trust my team. I also admire Kristene’s wit. She and I have a very similar sense of humor and it makes for a fun working relationship and friendship. (Kristene, if you’re reading this, please don’t deny that we’re friends and embarrass me.) –Mikena

Since my first day at the agency Kristene’s been there to help guide projects creatively, brainstorm new ideas, and provide comic relief. Her design knowledge and experience with clients has helped me become a more confident account executive. The quality of her work makes the conversations I have light and easy. We are lucky to have someone so passionate about her work on our team! –Tiffany

Kristene’s easygoing nature helps me find the humor in every situation. She’s a true team player and I always appreciate her support and advice. We couldn’t do a lot of our great work without her. Kristene knows how to roll with the punches – and modeling that poise helps the rest of the team do so as well. She can also somehow make having a lava lamp at her desk seem cool. –Jenny

Kristene always has great advice to offer when I’m stuck on a design. Her ideas always help push my design work to the next level. Kristene has also pushed me to become more proficient in using Photoshop, even if it was against my will. (Kristene loves Photoshop, I do not.) I am really lucky to get to work with such a great designer every day, and I can’t wait to learn more from her! –Mandy

In the spirit of a classic yearbook entry: Don’t ever change, Kristene. Congrats on this milestone!