Kate Hodel has had a front row seat for the entrepreneurial revolution, joining the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 1991 when it was just beginning its involvement in entrepreneurship. She directed the Kauffman Foundation’s efforts to develop a national reputation around entrepreneurship, working with organizations such as National Public Radio, the national Entrepreneur of the Year awards and the international board for Young Entrepreneurs Organization.

Pursuing her passion for community entrepreneurship, Kate was the original program officer for the KCSourceLink founding grant. She went on to work for KCSourceLink and SourceLink as a consultant and eventually as staff, helping build networks across the state of Missouri and in select communities nationwide. Currently Kate works on special projects for KCSourceLink, include the We Create Capital effort, KCInvestED, Whiteboard2Boardroom and research into capital access and job creation by early-stage firms. She is the co-author of a new book, Beyond Collisions: How to Build Your Entrepreneurial Infrastructure (Amazon).

Kate also chairs the board for NetWork Kansas, a SourceLink affiliate, and serves on their Startup Kansas Loan and Capital Multiplier Venture Fund committees. She has been involved in fundraising for the Kansas City Symphony for more than 30 years as part of the Kansas City Symphony Alliance.

Kate spent part of her career heading up marketing for Rockhurst University and The Kansas City Symphony, and was executive director of Kansas City’s Ignatian Spirituality Center for six years. She holds a bachelor in journalism degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia and an MBA from Rockhurst University.