Krista DeRose
Executive Recruiter
Krista DeRose joined Sterling Martin Associates in 2025, bringing over 15 years of experience in retained search, talent acquisition, and talent management. Based in Denver, Colorado, Krista specializes in Executive Director, CEO, CFO, and Operations searches, with a client base that includes foundations and associations, public, employee-owned, and private equity-backed companies.
Before joining Sterling Martin, Krista held leadership roles at prestigious organizations including Korn Ferry, Google, and McKesson. She began her career at Korn Ferry’s global headquarters in Los Angeles, where she became the youngest Associate in North America. Krista later helped expand the footprint of retained search firm Caldwell Partners, becoming the firm’s top-producing team in her first year there.
Krista transitioned to an in-house leadership recruiter role at Google, where she worked with hiring managers and external search firms, augmenting the engineering team leadership driving Google’s success. She then moved to McKesson Corporation, a top 10 Fortune 500 company, where she created their executive recruiting function from scratch, and later transitioned to Talent Management, focusing on operational improvements. At McKesson, she worked cross-functionally with HR teams across all divisions, served on the HRBP Advisory Board, and led operations for the SVP of Talent Management, HR Analytics, Organizational Development, and Diversity & Inclusion.
Krista holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Fluent in Spanish and proficient in Italian, French, and Farsi, Krista is also trained in Six Sigma and PMP. She is a past member of the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM).