Kristina Enjoys Looking After Both Her Families 

Paladin probably couldn’t have picked a better squad leader than Kristina Carroll. In fact, if there’s a blueprint for a firm, fair, fun department lead, it would probably use her as a model. She’s the mother of four active children whose instinct for supervising seems ingrained. So, Paladin clients who get to work with Kristina should know their questions will be answered and their challenges will be solved. 

Kristina lives for her family. She and husband, Marcus, both attended Barlow High School in Gresham but met years later when he walked into the Starbucks where she worked. After four kids and a move to Central Oregon, she still calls the day they met, “the best day ever.” 

Well, maybe the second-best. Both avid sports fans, Marcus proposed between the first and second quarters of a Purdue-Penn State football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Not just at the stadium either. The couple was escorted to the sidelines during the break and Marcus’s proposal was shown on the stadium’s Jumbotron. Pretty cool stuff. 

The Carroll family includes 17-year-old Peyton, a defensive lineman at Mountain View High School, 15-year-old Addyson, 13-year-old Lillyan, and 8-year-old Kaeden. All play a variety of sports, so, any given week, depending on the season, they’re at a football, volleyball, or softball game. 

“That’s the best part. I love watching my kids play,” she says. 

If they have a weekend off, they can probably be found camping at one of the Central Oregon lakes or rivers. 

Marcus drives for Oak Harbor Freight Lines and occasionally delivers to Paladin. Kristina made managing her brood her full-time job from when Peyton was born until Kaedyn started school.  

“I was a stay-at-home mom. I loved it. When Kaedyn started school, I got a job,” she says. 

Kristina joined Paladin in 2017 as a technical services representative (TSR) and in January 2020 was promoted to lead Squad 3. There she leads a team of TSRs that helps Paladin clients with any software challenges.  

“I love it here. It’s the people who make it fun,” she says, complimenting her crew. “I said if I had to do this job without those people, I would be miserable.”