As the Chief Operating Officer and AVC, Kate provides strategic planning, management, and direction to support the fundraising objectives of University Advancement & Alumni Relations. She provides leadership for human resources, special events & protocol, digital transformation & innovation, communications and marketing, donor stewardship, corporate and foundation relations, prospect development and external affairs.

She brings a big-picture perspective to the full scope of advancement services including managing, analyzing, and leveraging the data needed to inform organizational strategy and conduct the operations that engage and steward stakeholders and supporters.

Kate has a broad-based business perspective gained from working within both the public and private sectors throughout her career. Her varied experience in government relations and public affairs includes working for the Arizona Department of Commerce, Parsons Corporation, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disneyland Resort, KB Home, California Apartment Association, Orange County Business Council, and at UC Irvine as the associate vice chancellor public affairs/chief of staff for UC Irvine’s Strategic Communications and Public Affairs division and, most recently, as the chief administrative officer and director of external relations for UC Irvine Beall Applied Innovation.

Honored as the 74th Assembly District Woman of the Year 2016, Kate has also been recognized by OC Metro as “20 Women to Watch” and has been nominated three times for the Orange County Business Journal’s “Women in Business Awards.” She was appointed by UC President Janet Napolitano to serve as one of two staff advisors to the UC Regents for a two-year term. In addition to active involvement with a number of community organizations, she presently serves on the boards of OC Forum and Second Harvest Food Bank.