A Maryland native, Kirsten grew up riding and competing Thoroughbred lesson horses in dressage and eventing and initially pursued a professional career riding and teaching. Following an injury she adjusted career paths and held a variety of roles where she built experience with customer service, bookkeeping, business development, wholesale fulfillment, and project management, but never totally gave up on a career with horses. In 2013 Kirsten started volunteering with the then-named Retired Racehorse Training Project and ultimately joined the organization as its administrator and first full-time employee in 2015. Since then, she focused on operations, working in a supportive position and taking on pretty much any task called for to grow a grassroots organization into a pillar of the Thoroughbred aftercare industry. When the executive director position came available in 2022, Kirsten was awarded the leadership role after participating in a national hiring process.