Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EY US announces Kirsten Brecht Baker of Jeenie
as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2025 Mid-Atlantic Award winner
Washington D.C., June 23– Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that CEO & Co-Founder, Kirsten Brecht Baker, of Jeenie was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Mid-Atlantic Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. For 40 years, EY US has celebrated ambitious entrepreneurs who are transforming industries, impacting communities, and creating long-term value.
Kirsten was chosen by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs, and business leaders. Judges assessed candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.
"Entrepreneurship is about relentless curiosity, courage, and resilience; pushing boundaries and solving problems through innovation and creativity. I'm honored to be recognized alongside such bold leaders.
This award from EY is a celebration of the entire Jeenie team and our mission to eliminate language barriers wherever they exist, especially in critical moments like healthcare. We’re not just building technology; we’re building a more equitable future where everyone can be seen, heard, and understood. I’m so grateful to my Cofounder and father, Dr. Richard Brecht, whose vision, expertise, and unwavering belief have been foundational to Jeenie’s mission and growth.”
As a Mid-Atlantic award winner, Kirsten is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 National Awards. The National Award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2026.
Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to strengthen it for the future.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized the leadership of entrepreneurs such as:
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About Kirsten & Jeenie
Kirsten Brecht Baker is the Co-Founder & CEO of Jeenie, a groundbreaking multilingual and multicultural communication platform that eliminates language discordance for greater health and social equity. With over 15 years of experience building technology-driven companies, Kirsten has dedicated her career to solving real-world problems through innovative solutions.
Under her leadership, Jeenie has been named Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies, Inc. Magazine’s Best in Business, The Stevie Awards Healthcare Company of the Year, and DCA Live’s Red Hot Companies. Jeenie was also recently featured in Forbes: "The ‘Techquity’ Imperative in Healthcare".
Kirsten herself was recently named TITAN’s 2024 Female Entrepreneur of the Year and to both Forbes’ 2024 50 over 50 Innovators and Inc. Magazine’s 2024 Top 250 Female Founders lists. Baker is widely recognized as a tech innovator and industry leader. She has also been a member of Fast Co’s Impact Council and currently serves as a member of the senate-appointed Interpreting SAFE-AI Task Force.
About the Award
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries globally.
The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November, where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About EY
EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society, and the planet, while building trust in capital markets. Enabled by data, AI, and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy, and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network, and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories. All in to shape the future with confidence.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
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Jeenie Media Relations
press@jeenie.com
