[8] Kissel is Executive Vice President at Stephens, one of America's largest private, family-owned financial services firms, where she counsels clients on political risk and public policy.

[9] She advocated for China's persecuted Uyghurs, supported the Hong Kong democracy movement,[10] and pushed for closer U.S. ties to Taiwan.

[11][12] She also worked closely with Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon to launch the Secretary's Commission on Unalienable Rights.

Immediately before her State Department appointment, Kissel served as a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board in New York City, where she was chief foreign affairs writer for the newspaper's "Review & Outlook" column.

[27][28][29][30] Kissel started her career as a fixed income research and capital markets analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York City and London.