Beyond Business: A Promise Kept
Kristen Staples is driven to do good.
Kristen Staples (MBA’94) has always felt a gravitational pull toward helping others. While battling thyroid cancer in 2010, that motivation turned into more of a vow.
“At one point, I was praying ‘please, God, if you save me, I will promise to be your hands and feet for the rest of my life,’” Staples said. “And strangely enough, everything fell into place after that.”
After surviving cancer, Staples founded HubDot D.C., the local chapter of an international women’s networking group. She then discovered Hope To Walk, a nonprofit that provides low-cost prosthetics to amputees living in developing countries. It was a full-circle moment – considering Staples’ grandfather was a prosthetics inventor – and she embarked on a mission trip to Honduras with the organization.
“Once I saw the level of poverty and saw their level of appreciation for our help, I thought to myself, ‘how could I do anything except help?’” Staples said. “We’re so blessed in this country, we don’t even understand the challenges of the international poor.”
Over the course of six years, Staples advanced from volunteer to executive director and chair of the board at HopeTo Walk. During her tenure, she expanded the organization’s reach from two countries to nine, including Belize and Vietnam. Her work helped nearly 2,000 amputees walk again.
Staples recently started a new role as the executive director of Wellness Connection, a holistic mental health and wellness practice. She has been tasked with growing the nonprofit arm of the organization, which provides financial support for people who need therapy but can’t afford it. Ultimately, Staples’ hope is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health care.
In her endless pursuit to help others, Staples is also planning an educational and medical nonprofit to support women and children in Guatemala called La Sirena Foundation, which she hopes to launch at the end of the year.
Looking back, Staples says pursuing her MBA at Georgetown McDonough is the best decision she’s ever made.
“It seemed crazy to everyone at the time, because I had a high-paying job at Oracle in California, and they wondered, ‘Why would you leave this and spend all this money?’” Staples said. “It was just something I felt I had to do.”
Over the years, Staples has kept close relationships with her classmates and has often sought out business advice. Some of her fellow alumni have even financially supported the causes she has been involved in.
“Georgetown colleagues are a lot of like-minded people who realize how blessed they are and who use their talents for good,” Staples said. “One of the things that has inspired me is the Jesuit tradition of giving back and helping marginalized populations.”
Staples has seen by giving back to the community, amazing things can happen and lives can change.
This story was originally featured in the Georgetown Business Spring 2025 Magazine. Download the Georgetown Business Audio app to listen to the stories and access other bonus content.