Kathy has worked in the early childhood policy and advocacy arena for more than 25 years at the grassroots and state levels, in the public and private sectors, as an advocate and as an implementer. She is currently a Program Officer at the Pritzker Children’s Initiative (PCI), a project of the JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation, based in Chicago. PCI’s investment strategy is aimed at ensuring that every child is thriving and flourishing at age three and their families have access to the resources and support they need to help their children thrive. In the role since 2017, Kathy has primary responsibility for the Initiative’s community strategy and investments in the areas of prenatal to three impact measurement and scaling innovative models for early childhood system building.
Kathy began her career as a child care policy advocate at Day Care Action Council of Illinois during the era of welfare reform, managing a coalition that successfully fought for the transformation of the child care subsidy program. She stepped back from a full-time job for many years while her three daughters were young, but continued to contribute to the field as a consultant, including with the Illinois Migrant Head Start Program, managing the Early Learning Illinois Campaign, and fund development to create the Oak Park Collaboration for Early Childhood. Kathy returned to Illinois Action for Children in 2010 where she led the development of a new practice area in support of local collaboration building and improved state-local connectivity. She went on to serve as Deputy Director of the Illinois Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development to oversee the state’s implementation of its Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant.
Kathy earned her bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service and Masters in Public Policy at Georgetown University.