Kate Karre is the HR Practice Leader at Fine Point Consulting, where she partners with startups and small businesses to build the HR programs, policies, and cultures that make great places to work — and great places to grow.

Kate’s path to Fine Point started from the other side of the relationship. She worked at one of Fine Point’s accounting clients and got a firsthand look at what the firm was capable of. When a company acquisition eliminated her role, she spotted a Fine Point job posting and recognized the opportunity immediately. That background gives her a rare perspective: she understands what business owners and employees actually need from an HR partner, and she brings that empathy to every client engagement.

With over 15 years of HR experience spanning banking, manufacturing, healthcare, and professional services, Kate has done it all, .recruiting, benefits administration, payroll, employee relations, compliance, and coaching managers through the hard stuff. She built the HR function from the ground up at a CPA firm, and that experience of creating structure where there was none made her a natural fit for Fine Point’s client base of founders and small business leaders who are often navigating HR for the first time.

Since joining Fine Point as a Senior HR Partner, Kate was promoted to HR Practice Leader and has since been elevated to the executive team, where she helps set the direction and strategic goals for the firm. She has also led the evolution of Fine Point’s HR practice from reactive to proactive — shifting the model from putting out fires to helping clients build the people infrastructure that prevents fires in the first place. The impact on clients has been meaningful and watching that shift has been one of the highlights of her tenure.

Kate holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management, both from Edgewood College. She has also earned her PHR and SHRM-CP certifications and completed the UW Certified Professional Coach program in 2024. When she’s not in the weeds of an employee handbook or coaching a client through a tough conversation, you’ll find her with a latte in hand, a dog in her lap, and an audiobook in her ears.

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• HR strategy for startups and small businesses

• Recruitment & talent acquisition

• Benefits administration & open enrollment

• Employee relations & manager coaching

• HR compliance & policy development

• People operations & culture building

Kate joined Fine Point Consulting in 2023 as a Senior HR Partner, bringing with her a perspective shaped by years of working alongside organizations that Fine Point serves. She was promoted to HR Practice Leader and has since been elevated to the executive team, where she contributes to the firm’s strategic direction alongside firm leadership.

• Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management — Edgewood College

• Master of Business Administration (MBA) — Edgewood College

• PHR — Professional in Human Resources

• SHRM-CP — Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional

• UWCPC — UW Certified Professional Coach — University of Wisconsin-Madison