K Starns is an award-winning CEO, CMO, advisor, and board director with more than 35 years guiding Fortune 500 technology companies and ambitious startups to transformational growth. Known for her expertise in brand, marketing, AI, and operational excellence, K has led organizations through complex and high-stakes change.

K Starns has recently been named Executive Director of the Center for Customer Insight and Marketing Solutions (CCIMS) at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. A proud Texas alum and longtime lecturer in the Master of Science in Marketing program, K brings decades of industry leadership into this new chapter, bridging academic excellence with real-world impact. In this role, she is focused on deepening the connection between academia and industry, bringing corporate partners, students, and faculty together to tackle real-world marketing challenges and prepare graduates to excel in their field.

Previously, she was CEO of Houseful, a consumer real estate platform acquired by Royal Bank of Canada to help more Canadians realize their homeownership goals by bringing together insights-based guidance, industry experts, and financial resources. Before her role at Houseful, she was CMO at OJO, a high-growth consumer real estate startup. Her outstanding track record of building global brands, driving growth, and solving complex business challenges has been shaped by two leadership stints at Amazon, 13 years at Microsoft, and a global role at Pearson in the education sector.

K is a sought-after advisor to CEOs, an active mentor of women and up-and-coming leaders, a board member of the international nonprofit Miracle Foundation, and Fast Company Executive board member.