Kelly (Stokes) Steck has been a member of the ITC for seven months and joined because of her background, passions, and interest in international trade. Additionally, she joined because she was interested in learning more about other companies’ views on international trade, as well as learning more about the Kansas City companies with a global footprint—whether that be well-established ones or just-getting-started ones. She was fortunate enough to begin working for a company with significant foreign operations right out of college. Like many in the industry, Mrs. Steck has travelled extensively. She has traveled predominantly in both Latin America and Europe. Of all the places that she has been to, her favorite country is Spain, specifically the city of Barcelona. In her words, “the city, beaches, history, culture, and food are hard to beat!”

Kelly is a Senior Account Manager at Lockton Companies. She coordinates non-US risk management for US-headquartered companies and has been in this role for around 4 years. One of the goals that she has includes continually learning and getting out of her comfort zone, a goal that she applies to both her personal and her professional life.

Fun Facts and Advice:

Name three people (dead or alive) that you would invite to dinner:

What is the last book that you read?

“The Lost Girls of Paris” by Pam Jenoff. (She is a sucker for anything WWII related!

Who inspires you?

“This may be cliché, but my Mom is one of my greatest sources of inspiration. She is a fun-loving, hard-working, barrier-breaking professional woman and the best Mom a family could ask for!”

What advice would you give someone who wants to get into International Business?

“Do it! Get curious, be open-minded, do your research, travel, create meaningful relationships, and be ready to work some weird hours…”

What else do you want to tell us about yourself; what is something unique about you that is generally not known?

“I love interior design and real estate – you can frequently find me searching through warehouses in the west bottoms for the best vintage finds or at random open houses throughout the city!”