A trained engineer, Sara Kinnamon Fritsch ’00 knows even the strongest buildings are made to bend in the wind.
Adaptability – along with an artist’s willingness to discover herself over and again – seems to be a guiding principle in her own life.
For the past two and half decades, the Portland-based powerhouse has found a way to fuse passions in engineering and design into a rewarding career and life.
First, as a consultant -- work that would eventually lead Kinnamon Fritsch to Schoolhouse, a luxury home and lighting brand, becoming its longtime President -- and Portland Business Journal's 2020 Executive of the Year.
In 2022, Kinnamon Fritsch came back to campus to deliver a moving speech at the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences' (CEMS) commencement -- an honor made ever so bittersweet by her father’s passing just several months before.
Before the end of that year, Food52 would acquire Schoolhouse and, after aiding that transition, Kinnamon Fritsch jumped into her next endeavor: her own creative venture, Studio Tigress, committed to "offering always-beautiful, never-boring products and services that enrich our connections to one another and to time."
On the precipice of her 25th UVM reunion, Kinnamon Fritsch reflects on her time at UVM as she charges for all that's still ahead.
THE EARLY YEARS
In childhood, Kinnamon Fritsch bounced around a lot; her late father’s career at Goodyear took them all over the globe.
Middle school – sufficiently charged with the tumult of early adolescence – was additionally tripartite for Kinnamon Fritsch: Luxembourg City for 6th grade; suburban Boston for 7th; rural Ohio for 8th.
Whereas others her age might have been hindered by so much readjustment, it instead laid the groundwork for the kind of intentionality and resilience that still seems to define her.
“I became adept at being the new girl,” Kinnamon Fritsch reflects, “which could’ve been traumatic, but instead it shaped me in positive ways.”
When it came time for the next big change, college, Kinnamon Fritsch had grown proficient in and fascinated by art and design – alongside math and science. Though these disciplines might at times be pitted in opposition to each other, Fritsch never felt compelled to choose.
“My dad was an engineer,” she shares, “and both of my parents have a creative streak. I guess I felt like I didn’t want to pick one or the other so I did both, which was a juggle but continues to open doors for me.”
Then a teen in rural Ohio, Kinnamon Fritsch did feel compelled to leave. It was “a lovely state with great people,” she says, “but it was too landlocked and conservative for me.”
Plus, she wanted to go to college “in a cool and inspiring town,” where she could also run track for a Division 1 program.
“UVM checked all the boxes.”
HER UVM JOURNEY
UVM did not disappoint.
It’s here she found her path – as a mechanical engineering major and studio art minor, track team member, and pole vault record-breaking athlete (1998).
It is also here that Kinnamon Fritsch asks to clear the record on her, well, record.
“I’m so glad you asked,” she laughs. “The only reason I broke any record ever was because it had never been done before. Whatever record I held was not an impressive athletic feat and was not held very long. 1998 was the first year UVM and NCAA allowed women to compete in the pole vault. I was a triple jumper who somehow grabbed a pole and gave it a try. Those of us who got to pole vault in 1998 felt like pioneers which was very cool even if we had no idea what we were doing. It has been amazing to see how far women’s pole vaulting has come since 1998, and it is an honor to have been at the right place at the right time to go first.”
Another right-place, right-time UVM moment for Kinnamon Fritsch?
During a particularly challenging semester in a thermodynamics class, her professor, Dr. Gerald Francis, suggested a potential study partner for her in Oliver Fritsch '00. They would later marry at the Ira Allen Chapel.
“I think he knew exactly what he was doing when he set us up,” she says. “Thanks Doc!”
But before the Chapel, she and Oliver quickly became a dynamic duo. Along with a few classmates, they founded the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) program at UVM in 1999.
"It means so much to us to know that it has evolved over the years and is still going strong 25 years later," Kinnamon Fritsch shares.
They, and the rest of the inaugural team in 1999/2000, built an amphibious off-road race car from scratch. For their capstone senior project, they competed in the national collegiate Mini Baja Competition.
"It was a lot of work, was very rewarding, and we both feel like it was the top thing we did at UVM to set us up well for our careers beyond college," she shares.
"Pulling it off required teamwork, communication, problem solving, budgets, timelines, collaboration, leadership, compromise, improv, innovation, risk, balance, prioritization -- all things that the real world requires of us every day.”
THE REAL WORLD
Upon graduation, Kinnamon Fritsch and Oliver Fritsch were recruited by Accenture to their Boston office.
For several years, they worked as consultants – “an excellent way to learn and build professional and technical skills,” Kinnamon Fritsch says.
“Our careers and interests eventually lead us away from consulting.”
They drew up a blueprint for what they wanted the rest of their lives to look like -- and it required a city in which “to build a life, with a vision to work where we lived (vs. living where we worked).”
Those twenty-plus years ago, they landed in Portland, Oregon.
Portland combines the joys of “bikeable, artsy city life with easy access to nature (specifically: the mountains for skiing, the ocean for surfing, forest for running trails, rivers for wake surfing, and the gorge for wind sports)."
Then came Winter, followed by Penelope -- now both high-school aged.
“They know how to have a good time,” she says, “and keep us on our toes.”
Besides a few years in Amsterdam for Oliver’s work at Nike, the family has happily called Portland home.
“Oliver and I are so grateful to have the opportunity to build fulfilling and meaningful careers here in Portland that fit into our lifestyle.”
Oliver’s Nike portfolio now spans two decades, across a swathe of sports apparel. It’s no surprise their kids are also sporty – playing soccer and lacrosse, skiing, and surfing.
“Watching my kids find themselves through sports, school, and friendships brings me joy during this chapter of my life.”
Kinnamon Fritsch worked as a consultant in financial technology, manufacturing, and mergers and acquisitions for several companies throughout those years.
In 2010, she won a UVM Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Along the way, she took a job at Schoolhouse Electric and Supply, with the goal to refine, grow and sell the business. Accomplishing that goal was a joy and a grind,” she reflects. “It took many years, and a lot of time in the factory with an amazing team.”
As its longtime President, Kinnamon Fritsch was named the 2020 Executive of the Year by Portland Business Journal.
In 2021, they successfully sold Schoolhouse to Food52.
“I stayed on for a full year to help with the transition and then stepped away at the end of 2022.”
Post-Schoolhouse, she has built up her own advisory firm called Studio Tigress.
“I help design-forward companies (within Portland and also around the country) to grow, evolve, manufacture, scale, plan, and sell."
"I will forever be proud of and cheering for Schoolhouse," she says, "but it was time to walk away."
"Studio Tigress has become a venture where I can be creative, solve problems, collaborate, and grow, while also maintaining autonomy and supporting my family and community in meaningful ways."
"There are things I miss deeply about running a big, vertically integrated business," she reflects, "but the freedom I have created for myself in this new chapter has been transformative."
"Within Studio Tigress, I also design and sell my own small product assortment which is very focused on time and our relationship with it.”
Studio Tigress products have been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Domino, USA Today, Wired, Sunset Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Hello Sunshine, and other major publications and media outlets.
Asked, perhaps unfairly, on the difference and overlap between design and engineering, she notes this could be a touchy subject from both angles. She has found -- whether it be digital or physical products -- the best outcomes "result from teamwork where design and engineering iterate together, vs one (usually design) handing off a concept for the other (engineering) to bring to life."
Several years of running a factory, as well as helping companies develop and launch new (digital and physical) products, have taught her that "the best designers design with engineering in mind. And the best engineers make time to understand and appreciate the intention of design, and then push for solutions and outcomes that elegantly honor that intention."
"Modern collaboration tools help to facilitate strong teamwork for designers and engineers throughout a product development lifecycle," she says, "but of course nothing beats the old-fashioned collaboration that comes from strong communication (listening!), mutual respect, and alignment around shared vision and values. There are no examples of a truly great product that doesn't nail both design and engineering - they are codependent functions that, when done right, make one another better.
In a fun worlds-collide moment, Studio Tigress did an enamelware collaboration in 2025 with Crow Canyon, a Northern California-based company owned by another UVM alum, Cara Barde ’95, specializing in eco-friendly and stylish enamelware. The collection was successfully launched in Paris at a home and design tradeshow.
MAINTAINING STRONG CONNECTIONS
When Kinnamon Fritsch sifts through some of her favorite UVM memories, they are plentiful (“I could go on and on”): a mix of the known standouts (“Lake Champlain in the summer, Stowe in the winter, leaves in the fall, Church Street, Dairy Bar”) and the particular (“long hours in Votey Hall, track team bus rides, Greek life, Kountry Kart Deli, a capella concerts, coed intramural flag football national championships in New Orleans”).
But the most everlasting are the relationships that developed during her time at UVM – like that with Oliver, and various enduring friendships, including that with her UVM best friend, Katherine Anne Kelly '00.
Kinnamon Fritsch and Kelly met as orientation roommates -- then remained roommates throughout their time at UVM and a few post-graduation years in Boston.
Kelly passed away in 2014 after a heroic battle with Cystic Fibrosis. “Kate didn’t live long,” Kinnamon Fritsch shares, “but she did live big.”
The most special and ongoing connection Kinnamon Fritsch maintains with UVM is through the annual Katherine Anne Kelly Award, one Kinnamon Fritsch created in her honor and helped to fund.
The annual award "honors a senior who best exemplifies Kate's ability to bravely battle serious medical challenges, while still graduating and engaging in UVM student life with passion, energy, and a smile.”
Recent recipients of the Katherine Anne Kelly Award include Allison Cohen (2025), Tiffany Mai (2024), Sage N'be Francis White Cloud (2022), Josh Speidel (2020), and several others since its inception in 2016.
Over the years, Kinnamon Fritsch has maintained a deep connection with other aspects of her UVM experience, especially with the Mechanical Engineering Department, the Track team, and her Sorority (Alpha Chi Omega).
Along with her strong engagement with UVM, Kinnamon Fritsch maintains a steadfast commitment to her community. She has raised funds for several charities, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Additionally, through Studio Tigress, Kinnamon Fritsch mentors female-identifying entrepreneurs pro bono.
She credits her parents' influence, who "always modeled how important it is to engage and invest into community."
She currently sits on several boards of companies based in Portland and beyond -- three direct to consumer product companies and a B2B medical device company.
"It is a great honor and joy to serve on multiple boards for companies with values, products and missions that I believe in," she says. "Building on my UVM education and professional experience, all of the boards I sit on are organizations that straddle the intersection of design and engineering. Keeping within these filters (values, design, engineering) helps make my involvement and contribution very authentic and true to who I am and what I believe in."
This Fall marks her start as a member of the UVM Alumni Association Board of Directors.
"I look forward to jumping in!"
Kinnamon Fritsch and her husband are also looking forward to returning to campus for their 25th reunion – which she is helping organize.
“We are looking forward to bringing the original SAE Mini Baja engineering team back together after 25 years," she says, "to connecting with old track and ski teammates, and to enjoying time on Church Street and the Lake with some of our dearest, oldest friends. We are also excited to engage with and learn from current students and faculty on campus. Every time we return, we are so impressed with the evolution of campus. We can’t wait to see what is new this fall.”
ON FINDING HER BEST SELF
What becomes apparent is that Kinnamon Fritsch is a remarkable connector.
In her 2022 CEMS Commencement speech, she mentions finding one's best self.
Prompted to revisit this idea, several years and so much life later, she adds that her “best true self is always evolving, so it’s less about finding it and more about staying connected to it as it evolves."
"To do this,” she says, “I am obsessive about time and how I spend it. This includes making sure that I make enough time to do the things that bring me energy and inspiration. For me, this includes time alone to recharge (I am an introvert), time to learn (read, podcasts, art), time to run, time to create, time to dream, time to travel, time to be home, time with friends, time with Oliver and the kids."
"Professionally, after working with 40+ companies over 25 years, I can confidently confirm that we all do our best work when we are able to be our truest self. LinkedIn me matches Instagram me matches real world me."
She adds she has "discovered that learning how to connect with, prioritize, and be my best true self is the best gift I can give to those I love and those that depend on me."
To UVM students setting off in the life-long work of connecting with their best selves, she shares some great words of wisdom:
“Make time to listen to your heart and instincts - that is worth so much. There are infinite paths towards and definitions of success (and happiness). The key is to find a way to do it your way. Along the journey be aware of what “enough” is and remember to have fun.”
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