Decorah-Native Ryan Kratz Joins Babson College Board of Trustees

The Babson College Board of Trustees has formally welcomed two new accomplished members to its ranks: KP Balaraj P'25 and Ryan Kratz '98. Balaraj was elected earlier this year, and Kratz was formally elected at the board's annual October meeting. Balaraj and Kratz join at a momentous time for the board and the college. The Babson Board of Trustees earlier this year received the 2024 John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. The college's recent successes include being ranked the No. 2 Best College in the United States by The Wall Street Journal, and the No. 1 undergraduate school for entrepreneurship for the 28th consecutive time by U.S. News & World Report. Meet the newest member of the Babson Board of Trustee: Ryan Kratz '98 Kratz is a private investor and former senior executive in the commercial real estate services industry. Kratz was recently president, Southeast and Mid-Central regions at Colliers, a global, publicly-traded commercial real estate services corporation where he was part of the U.S. leadership team and responsible for a large geography with multiple service lines. Currently, he is a private investor focusing on a variety of sectors, including fragmented overlooked operating businesses, credit opportunities in dislocated markets, Digital Asset Ecosystem (DAE) investments, technology, niche healthcare, and several asset classes of commercial real estate. He is devoting time to a startup enterprise in the clean-tech sector ridding forever chemicals (PFAS) and other contaminants from water using a patented system and technology. Kratz earned his Bachelor of Science from Babson, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a concentration in entrepreneurship and finance, and he earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in Boston. Kratz, a native of Decorah, Iowa, now lives in Miami. A passionate traveler, Kratz has visited more than 100 countries. Stay informed, stay inspired! Newsletter sign up is free and join hundreds of free subscribers who rely on DecorahNews.com for trusted information and fresh perspectives.