Kaity Myers did not come to SPARK through a typical product development path.
Her background includes dance, yoga, teaching, operations, entrepreneurship, and relationship-building. But the more you hear her talk about her work, the more that path makes sense. The common thread has always been there: curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and a genuine interest in helping ideas move from possibility to action.
At SPARK, those qualities show up in her work as a Business Development Associate, where she helps build relationships, explore opportunities, and shape early client conversations.
A creative path into business
Kaity studied dance and choreography at Virginia Commonwealth University before later returning to earn her MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation. While that may sound like an unexpected combination, it reflects the way she has always worked.
Even in dance, she was drawn not just to performance, but to collaboration, structure, and the challenge of creating something new within a set of parameters.
As she put it, “I really liked this concept of creating something new and saying, there are parameters, but let’s examine those parameters. We sometimes have prompts and constraints and then sometimes we can break those. Let’s see how far outside the box we can go and still make something work.”
That mindset followed her into the many roles she took on after college. In dance and yoga spaces, she found herself naturally stepping into the behind-the-scenes work: writing marketing blurbs, building spreadsheets, helping with budgets, and supporting the people bringing ideas to life.
“I realized I like being the person behind the curtain, running things behind the scenes,” she said.
Listening first
One of the most distinctive things Kaity brings to her role is the way she listens.
As a child, she was very shy, which shaped how she learned to move through the world. Looking back, she sees that experience as something that sharpened both her listening skills and her understanding of how people respond under pressure.
“It taught me not only about listening, but also that pressure doesn’t actually improve an outcome,” she said. “And it showed me the value of being in the background and listening.”
That perspective still shapes how she approaches business development. Rather than jumping straight into a pitch, she starts by trying to understand the other person first: what they are building, where they are stuck, and what kind of help they may actually need.
“I don’t need to sell what SPARK is right away,” she said. “I want to hear everything about the other person. And then I can tell you where I see connections.”
It is an approach that fits naturally at SPARK, where good product development starts with understanding the problem clearly and asking better questions before rushing toward solutions.
Why SPARK is such a good fit
Kaity sees a real connection between her creative background and SPARK’s work.
To her, dance and product development are both shaped by constraints. Both require originality, experimentation, collaboration, and discipline. Both ask people to work within real parameters while still trying to create something new.
That overlap helped SPARK feel familiar in an unexpected way.
She has also been struck by the company’s collaborative culture and openness. Even without an engineering background, she says the team has always met her questions with generosity.
“There are times that I ask a lot of questions,” she said. “And they’re always so quick to jump in and explain. There’s zero ego here.”
Helping good ideas gain traction
Today, Kaity’s work sits at the intersection of strategy, communication, and human connection.
She enjoys learning about new industries, identifying patterns, and helping shape the early conversations that can lead to strong long-term partnerships. To her, business development is not just about sales. It is also about helping define who SPARK is, who it is best positioned to help, and how to connect those two things more clearly.
Philip O’Connor, Managing Partner at SPARK, works closely with Kaity, and he reiterated what a great fit and find she is for the company: ‘There are times when you write a job description and look for someone very specific who followed a defined path to fit a certain role. Then there are times when you meet someone who just "gets it" and you know it'll work,” he said. “I was thrilled to be introduced to Kaity – her professors at VCU went above and beyond to ensure her resume landed in front of me. It's been great having her on board and our team is better for it.”
Kaity’s path to SPARK may not have been conventional, but it has been remarkably consistent in one way: again and again, she has found herself drawn to helping good ideas take shape and move forward.
Or, as she put it, “I don’t necessarily need to be the creator of something, but I do want to be the person that champions and guides it so that it can flourish.”
At SPARK, Kaity has found a place where honing that instinct is literally the job.