PR Pro Osborne ’11 on Front Line of Innovation

Kathy Osbourne ’11 didn’t come to Hartwick intending to work with some of the most groundbreaking, forward-looking technology companies in the world. In fact, her Oyaron Hill journey began with an interest in art therapy.

“I didn’t see it as being particularly lucrative in the long run, so I turned my focus to psychology,” she reflected.

That liberal arts degree would become the foundation of a multi-hyphenated career: public relations (PR) firm owner, communications coach, business strategist and consultant, investor and even teacher. She has met with hundreds of businesses over the years and sees technology and cultural trends well before the rest of us.

After Hartwick, Osborne pursued a career in therapy and earned a master’s in social work at Fordham University. Again, she realized the field was not for her, but it led to work as a resident-in-training at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. There, she provided end-of-life grief training and counseling for stage 4 lung cancer patients.

Osborne also connected with the organization’s research department, where a timely suggestion from a friend shifted her focus yet again. There was a tech blogging boom happening in healthcare and her friend recommended that Osborne try her hand at it. She gave it a shot and ended up joining a boutique PR firm that handled non-profits and life science accounts.

“I loved it. It sucked me in, and eventually I made the leap to a much bigger agency that handled health tech PR,” she said.

At the time, larger agencies typically worked with Fortune 500 companies, but now they were competing with smaller agencies for this new wave of companies. These up-and-comers were quickly becoming desired clients for agencies and darlings of the technology press. Osborne was well-positioned for this sea change.

“I got to work one-on-one with Elon Musk and Hyperloop, when no one was covering the industry 15, 16 years ago,” she shared as an example, which had a major impact on her.

Ten years into her career, Osborne had the experience, vision and drive to be her own boss and pick the companies with whom she wanted to work.

Kamel PR was born.

The pandemic served as a crossroads for Osborne on several fronts. For starters, the Ocean, N.J., native relocated to Tampa, Fla., something she never pictured doing.

“I saw palm trees and was able to go to the supermarket,” she said, “I was hooked.”

It was also a critical time in the business world.