Kate is a Director of Child & Family Wellbeing Initiatives at the Government Performance Lab. In this capacity, she leads a team to design and test approaches to strengthen social service delivery and improve outcomes for children and families through engagements with state and local governments. Kate’s work at the GPL has focused on making it easier for families—for example those entangled in the criminal justice system or struggling with parental substance-use disorder—to connect to prevention services outside the child welfare system. This work includes strengthening referral pathways, social service procurement processes, and data-driven management practices so that families can better access supports that meet their needs, like substance-use treatment, cash assistance, and family wellbeing programs.

Prior to joining the GPL, Kate was a Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Agricultural Development Program. In this role, Kate helped make and manage more than $250M of grants and contracts focused on strengthening government capacity and developing rural economies in Africa. She also managed engagements with key implementation partners and donor institutions, and played a pivotal role in developing investment plans to guide the foundation’s grantmaking in Nigeria. Kate earned her master’s degree from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance concurrent with spending three years in West Africa as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer. Kate lives with her spouse and three cats in Los Angeles. Outside work, Kate is a manic hobbyist—getting very deep into a new activity for ~3-6-month periods and then moving on. Recent booms have included: sewing, rock climbing, biking, gardening, canning, and video editing.