Katie Wiggin

University of Notre Dame, Mendoza School of Business

“Grounded in faith, fueled by ambition, and driven to build meaningful relationships everywhere I go.”

Hometown: Oakland, New Jersey

Fun fact about yourself: After attaining certification as a Pilates instructor last year, a social impact class prompted me to start teaching Pilates at a local South Bend community center!

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of South Carolina, B.S. Accounting

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Target Headquarters, Finance, Minneapolis, MN

Where will you be working after graduation? PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) LLP, Deals Senior Associate in Chicago, IL

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Scholarships: Kenneth R. Meyer Fellow; Forté Fellow

Leadership Roles: Chief Networking Officer, Consulting Club; Vice President of Alumni Relations, MBAA

Mentorship: Teaching Assistant for Applied Impact Consulting, mentoring a group of six undergraduate women on client-facing social impact projects with responsibility for providing career guidance, accountability, and personal support throughout the program

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The achievement I am most proud of during business school is the work I led to strengthen engagement between graduate students and the Mendoza College of Business Corporate Advisory Board (CAB).

To increase student participation, rather than assuming what students needed, I sent out a survey to better understand how both first- and second-year MBA candidates wanted to interact with board members. The responses revealed a clear gap: students were not interested in attending large networking receptions; they wanted smaller, intentional conversations tailored to where they were in their recruiting process. I met regularly with Career Services to better align the CAB programming with internship and full-time career timelines, ensuring the networking experience was strategic rather than symbolic.

We redesigned events to incorporate curated introductions, focused breakout sessions, and clearer follow-up pathways. The goal was to shift from transactional networking to meaningful relationship-building.

What makes me most proud is the ripple effect. Students secured mentorship relationships, internship leads, and long-term advocates as a result of those interactions with CAB members. Giving back in this way by creating opportunities for others to feel confident and connected truly energizes me. It reminds me that leadership is most powerful when it lifts others and creates opportunities. As I transition into my corporate role, I hope to continue building systems where people feel supported, seen, and empowered to grow.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Relocating from New Jersey to Dallas to begin my career at Goldman Sachs.

What looked like a geographic move was, in reality, a defining step into independence. It was my first time living on my own: signing a lease, furnishing an apartment, cooking for myself, and building friendships from scratch – all while stepping into one of the most demanding professional environments in financial services.

I initially thought I would stay for a year. I stayed for four.

In that time, I learned how to navigate high performance expectations, transition from audit into product-focused work, and handle ambiguity when business conditions shifted. But, just as importantly, I learned how to build a life in unfamiliar terrain, creating community where none had existed.

That chapter shaped me far beyond a job title. It taught me resilience, adaptability, and confidence in my ability to figure things out. I left Dallas not only with stronger technical skills, but with lifelong friendships and a deeper belief in myself.

The achievement was not simply succeeding at Goldman Sachs; it was proving that I could thrive, professionally and personally, far outside my comfort zone.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Notre Dame because it felt like home.

When I was exploring MBA programs, I was not just evaluating academics or career outcomes; I was asking where I would be formed as a leader and as a responsible member of society. During my visit, I remember going to Mass with classmates and feeling a sense of belonging I had not expected to find in a business school setting. Faith was not separate from ambition here; it informed it.

Every conversation I had with Notre Dame alumni reinforced that feeling. Each spoke about their careers with drive, but also with social conscience. They talked about integrity, responsibility, and community not as buzzwords, but as lived commitments. That sincerity stayed with me.

There was a gut conviction I was unable to ignore.

Mendoza’s commitment to “Grow the Good in Business” was not just a motto: it was visible in how students supported one another, how professors challenged us to think about long-term impact, and how leadership was defined by both excellence and empathy. I chose Notre Dame because I wanted to become that kind of leader.

Looking back, it was not just the right professional decision. It was the right personal one.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Kelley Rubey.

Professor Rubey has a rare ability to build deep, intentional relationships while holding her students to an incredibly high standard. In Business on the Frontlines, she did not just teach us frameworks – she created space for personal and professional growth. She challenged me to step beyond what felt comfortable, to ask better questions, to sit longer in reflection, and to lead with both conviction and humility.

What sets Professor Rubey apart is how personally invested she is in her students’ development. She recognizes potential before you fully see it yourself, and then gently, but firmly, pushes you toward it. After our experience in Uganda at St. Bakhita’s Vocational Training Center, she encouraged me to continue leaning into impact-focused work and later invited me to serve as a Teaching Assistant for the Applied Impact Consulting undergraduate course. That trust changed how I saw my own teaching and leadership capabilities.

Professor Rubey models the kind of leader I hope to become: warm and empathetic, yet courageous enough to challenge others to grow. She reminds me that the most meaningful leadership happens through relationships.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) in Uganda.

Working with St. Bakhita’s Vocational Training Center reshaped how I understand the purpose of business and serving others. We partnered with local leadership to strengthen the sustainability of programs serving vulnerable young women, but what impacted me most was not the financials – it was being there in person. Sitting in their classrooms, hearing their stories, and seeing the direct impact of the work made the mission tangible in a way digging through spreadsheets never could.

In conversations with St. Bakhita students, I saw how transformative digital literacy could be, not just economically but for the students personally. That realization led me to propose an Information Communications Technology (ICT) Club as part of our broader recommendations; a peer-driven initiative for young women to build their technology skills together and gain confidence in their capabilities.

Through mentorship and shared learning, strategy became deeply human. These were not abstract case characters; they were young women building stability and financial opportunity for themselves and their families.

The BOTFL course challenged me to move beyond growth metrics and ask a more important question: Who benefits from this business decision? It reinforced my belief that business is most powerful when it expands agency and restores dignity, and that leadership requires both competence and conscience.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back, I would have given myself more permission to lean into my collaboration and networking strengths sooner.

At the beginning of my MBA program, I put a quiet but heavy pressure on myself to do everything perfectly: make close friends immediately, earn top grades in every class, and prove that I belonged in a top-notch school. I approached the experience as something to optimize rather than grow into.

Over time, I realized that my greatest contributions were not rooted in perfection, they were rooted in connection. I thrive in alumni engagement, mentorship, and building community. When I began to focus on the strengths I naturally bring to the table: relationship-building, initiative, and creating impact for others – the pressure lifted. I stopped trying to perform the MBA experience and started fully participating in it.

That shift taught me an important lesson: excellence does not come from trying to be perfect in everything. It comes from knowing who you are, recognizing the gifts you can offer, and leaning into them with confidence.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? The most impactful “case study” I experienced was not in a classroom, it was our Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) partnership with St. Bakhita’s Vocational Training Center in Northern Uganda.

On paper, we were tasked with evaluating how to leverage a newly built computer lab to improve financial sustainability and expand economic opportunity. In reality, we were confronting a far more complex question: How do you introduce technology in a region where median income hovers around one dollar per day and internet adoption remains limited? Every recommendation carried financial, ethical, and cultural tradeoffs.

But what changed me most was not the analysis. It was the relationships and the generosity of spirit of the students.

Spending time with the young women at St. Bakhita’s, I began to see technology not just as a revenue tool, but as a confidence-building platform. I proposed launching an Information Communications Technology (ICT) Club: a space where students could build digital skills, experiment safely, and support one another as they learned. It wasn’t just about employability; it was about agency.

The biggest lesson I learned is that leadership requires humility before business strategy. Sustainable impact cannot be imposed: it must be built through trust, mentorship, and shared ownership. Business decisions, especially in vulnerable communities, shape dignity as much as they shape financial outcomes.

The BOTFL course taught me that the most responsible leaders balance ambition with empathy and that sometimes the greatest impact begins with simply investing in people.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most about South Bend was the opportunity to step beyond campus and engage meaningfully with the local community.

Through a social impact practicum, our team partnered with leaders on the West Side to explore a mixed-use cooperative development designed to revitalize Lincolnway West without displacing longtime residents. We conducted more than sixty interviews with local pastors, small business owners, realtors, and neighborhood advocates: listening to stories of disinvestment and the opportunities for resilience, and hope for rebuilding.

What struck me most was how deeply people cared about belonging in the neighborhood. Residents were not just asking for new buildings, they were asking for ownership, dignity, and a seat at the table. The conversations challenged me to think beyond financial feasibility and consider cultural identity, generational wealth, and the risk of development that unintentionally excludes the very people it aims to serve.

What began as a class project became personal. Through that partnership, I built a relationship with a local community leader and, after earning my Pilates certification, began teaching classes at a neighborhood community center. It was a small way to stay connected and give back beyond the academic deliverables.

The city of South Bend gave me proximity to the complexity of town management and to the commitment of its residents. It reminded me that business decisions exist within real neighborhoods with real and valued histories. I loved that my MBA experience did not stop at the Notre Dame campus; it required me to show up, listen, and continue using my voice.

What business leader do you admire most? The business leader I admire most is my mom.

She grew up in a small apartment with two siblings and parents who worked tirelessly to make ends meet. She became the first in her family to attend college and then went on to earn her MBA. Over the course of more than 20 years at the Federal Reserve Bank, she built a career grounded in integrity, discipline, and public service. Today, she serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Webster Bank.

What I admire most is not just her resumé, it is how she built it. She navigated highly regulated, high-stakes environments while raising a family, traveling internationally for work, and never compromising her Catholic values. She showed my sister and me that ambition and integrity are not mutually exclusive.

Growing up, I did not just hear that “anything is possible.” I watched it happen.

Her leadership has always been steady, principled, and deeply responsible – the kind that protects institutions and people alike. She taught me that true success is not just measured by title, but by the trust you earn and the doors you open for others.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? One way Mendoza meaningfully integrated AI into our programming was through Professor Kevin Hartman’s course, Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Marketing. Rather than treating AI as a buzzword, the class grounded us in real-world case studies, from predictive analytics at Starbucks to recommendation engines at Netflix, and required us to design AI-driven solutions that balanced business value with consumer impact.

What stood out most was the emphasis on ethics. In our group projects, we were not just asked how to maximize return on investment (ROI) through personalization or automation, but how to minimize unintended harm whether that meant over-surveillance, manipulation, or erosion of consumer autonomy. We were expected to disclose and critically reflect on the use of generative AI in our work, reinforcing that responsibility rests with the user, not the tool.

The biggest insight I gained is that AI should augment human judgment, not replace it. Its power lies in scale and efficiency, but its wisdom depends on the values of the people deploying it. As future leaders, our competitive advantage will not just be technical fluency, it will be discernment of the data and information it yields

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? The MBA classmate I most admire is Branden Moore.

Branden and I were not especially close at the start of the MBA program, but being placed on the same Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) team changed that quickly. One moment that stands out was when I was in Chicago, feeling completely frustrated with where our project stood. I called Branden, and what was supposed to be a quick check-in turned into a 30-minute conversation of venting, laughing, and working through the details of the project issues together. By the end of the call, we were not just calmer, we were ready to get back to work.

That’s who Branden is. He is the person you lean on when things feel overwhelming. He brings steady energy, perspective, and humor when you need it most. His presence genuinely lights up a room: not in a loud way, but in a way that makes people feel at ease and supported.

He is incredibly smart, but what sets him apart is how grounded and genuine he is. He believes in people deeply and shows it in small, consistent ways. I have no doubt he will go far in business, not because he is chasing promotions, but because people trust him and want to build alongside him.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Build and lead a values-driven team that develops people as intentionally as it drives results. I want to lead a team or business unit where performance and people development are equally prioritized. My goal is to create an environment where young professionals, especially women, feel challenged, supported, and seen. I have experienced firsthand how transformative strong mentorship can be, and I hope to institutionalize that kind of culture wherever I lead.

2. Launch a mentorship platform that expands access and opportunity for young women. Throughout my MBA, I found that I am most energized when I am helping others navigate inflection points whether through Corporate Advisory Board (CAB) programming, teaching, or informal mentorship. One day, I hope to build a scalable platform that connects young women with mentors, sponsors, and real pathways to leadership. Access should not depend on who you know, where you grew up, or whether you happen to be in the right room – and I feel called to help close that gap.

What made Katie such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Katie Wiggin has been an invaluable member of the MBA Class of 2026, distinguished by her willingness to lean into complex, high-stakes projects that demand rigorous systems thinking, deep cultural humility, and intensive team collaboration. Katie took a leap out of her comfort zone and intentionally sought opportunities in Mendoza’s most intensive experiential learning opportunities, including Business on the Frontlines and Frontlines Practicum: Local Impact. Through these courses, she contributed to the development of social enterprises in post-conflict Northern Uganda and to advancing employee ownership initiatives in the South Bend community.

One of Katie’s greatest strengths is her ability to navigate cultural and language differences while leading relationship-building efforts across multidisciplinary teams of students, Mendoza alumni, and new client partners. Katie quickly builds the trust necessary for co-creation and long-term impact. It’s particularly impressive to watch Katie in action and see her build trust not only through empathy and authenticity, but through sheer analytical logic. She translated the financial rigor of her pre-MBA career at Goldman Sachs into her project work, advancing her knowledge of social enterprises and new contexts to ensure recommendations were anchored in evidence and delivered both financial and social returns. By integrating inclusive development with practical business strategies, she also helped her peers see firsthand how business can be a powerful tool for advancing human dignity.

Outside the classroom, Katie is a vital force in fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture within the MBA Program. Her leadership style is defined by a commitment to the success of the collective, and as VP of Alumni Relations, she has been instrumental in strengthening initiatives that improve student leadership development and career outcomes. Katie has a gift for creating pathways for her peers to become leaders capable of driving real-world change.

While Katie will be deeply missed here at Mendoza, I look forward to seeing the impact she will have through her work at PwC and beyond.”

Kelly Rubey
Edward J. Huether Associate Teaching Professor of International Business
Management & Organization Department                                                                                    
Mendoza College of Business                                                                                            
University of Notre Dame

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