Kate Mertz is the Director of Procurement Transformation at the Government Performance Lab, where she leads the GPL’s technical assistance to help state and local governments use procurement and contracting to improve the performance of government programs and services. For over a decade she has worked in operations in the private, academic, and public sectors. Kate received a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and studied Economics and Political Science at Macalester College. Kate lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, where she enjoys spending time outdoors – in all kinds of weather! – with her family.