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Throughout her 26-year career at Intel, Kim Carlton has helped businesses grow by building partnerships that connect people, resources and ideas. Across leadership roles in sales, marketing and partner development, her work has included guiding initiatives tied to more than $6 billion in revenue and overseeing more than $80 million in annual investments to help Intel and its partners reach customers and expand into new markets. After building her career in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Carlton is now focused on helping companies tackle customer challenges through collaboration. Her work reflects a belief that businesses can accomplish more when they work together toward shared goals.

Today, as Intel ��������. director of AI and ecosystem solution sales, Carlton is applying that approach to help companies solve customer challenges. Carlton credits her education at �������� Polytechnic with preparing her for a career built on relationships, adaptability and initiative.

Originally from St. Germain in northern Wisconsin, Carlton knew she wanted to work in retail. She chose Stout ��������. fashion merchandising program, later renamed retail merchandising and management, for its strong curriculum and record of preparing graduates for jobs in their fields.

“I was intentional about choosing an education that aligned with my career ambitions and delivered a tangible return on that investment,” she said. “Stout stood out for its industry-relevant curriculum and proven placement record.  For me, it was about more than earning a degree- it was about building the skills, experience and foundation to succeed professionally from day one."

At �������� Polytechnic, Carlton found supportive professors, an internship with Target that led to a job offer before graduation and opportunities to develop her leadership skills. As a professional club ��������. speaker coordinator, she cold-called industry professionals to invite them to campus, learning to make connections and persuade people to get involved.

“It also absolutely taught me the more you’re involved, the more you get out of something,” she said.

After graduation, Carlton joined Target in store management, overseeing more than 100 employees and helping open new locations. She later moved into telecommunications sales with Cellular One, AT&T Wireless and GTE. At GTE, she developed distribution channels through training, incentives and partnerships, establishing a focus on bringing organizations together to achieve shared goals.

Since joining Intel in 2000, Carlton has worked across sales, marketing and partner development, building relationships between Intel and the businesses that bring its technology to customers. Those experiences have reinforced her belief that the strongest results come when organizations align their goals and combine their strengths.

For Carlton, the real value lies in what organizations can accomplish together. She describes effective collaboration as a “force multiplier” that combines strengths to achieve more than any organization could alone.

“It enables 1 plus 1 equals 7,” she said.

That means understanding customers’ needs, aligning partners around shared goals and bringing the right resources together to solve problems. In her current role, Carlton is helping develop an approach that starts with customer and industry challenges rather than focusing solely on technology.

As industries evolve, she encourages her teams to keep learning and adapting. Her guiding motto is “ABG, always be growing.” She asks team members to set quarterly growth goals, whether professional or personal, and shares another principle with colleagues and her children: “You always have to be a little bit more excited than you are scared.”

That commitment to growth is personal. Carlton says her family is her biggest priority and greatest motivation, both at home and in her career. The same mindset she encourages in her teams — staying curious, embracing challenges and continuing to learn — also shapes how she approaches life with her family.

That mindset carries into Carlton ��������. commitment to mentorship. She serves on the board of Women of the Channel, which supports women in technology through professional development and mentorship. In 2026, she was named a finalist for CRN ��������. Women of the Year Awards in the Role Model of the Year category. The winner will be announced in December.