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Tarbox's company now on the New York Stock Exchange

Andrea Tarbox ’72 P ’09 (front row, second from right) celebrates after ringing the NYSE's opening <br>bell Jan. 13
Andrea Tarbox ’72 P ’09 (front row, second from right) celebrates after ringing the NYSE's opening
bell Jan. 13

Only 3.5 percent of chief financial officers are women, making Andrea Tarbox ’72 P ’09, CFO of KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp., a rarity in the business world.

Tarbox can now also say she is a CFO of a company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). KapStone, based in Northbrook, Ill., is a leading North American producer of unbleached kraft paper products and linerboard.

Earlier this January, she transitioned the company from the NASDAQ to the NYSE, an exchange that has stricter requirements and therefore more credibility among most investors, and celebrated the company’s move by ringing the NYSE's opening bell Jan. 13.

“This is a part of KapStone’s remarkable four-year journey from its inception to the NASDAQ and now to the Big Board,” Tarbox said during a celebratory breakfast with NYSE Chief Executive Officer Duncan Niederauer. “And I am happy to have been with the company from the start of its journey.”

Tarbox also discussed her personal journey, which included the time she spent at Connecticut College. She attributes part of her ability to climb the ranks in the business world to her psychology degree.

“In business I am always dealing with people, and therefore, understanding what makes them tick is an important asset,” Tarbox said.

When it came time for her daughter, Caroline Gransee ’09, to select a college, Tarbox was ecstatic when she decided to attend her alma mater to take advantage of its liberal arts offerings.

“Connecticut College provides an excellent foundation for graduates by teaching them how to creatively think, effectively analyze, solve problems and communicate,” Tarbox said. “These skills are widely applicable to most professions and are never outdated.”

-Caroline Gransee '09



January 14, 2010