Kate McAnulty, PhD
“Kate’s leadership style is both clear and kind; she balances professionalism with bringing her own life experiences to her work with an approachable and straightforward style. She is able to connect with constituents with warmth and is unafraid of managing difficult issues; this helps both students and organizations find solutions that have community buy-in and lasting impact. Kate also brings innovative ideas to the table, and has the organizational and execution skills to help organizations bring those ideas to fruition.”
– Dr. Jennifer Howes, Chief Mental Health Director for Student Health and Wellbeing at Johns Hopkins University
20+ YEARS OF HIGHER EDUCATION EXPERIENCE
Her decorated academic career has taken her on a journey across the country. A proud native of Louisville, Kentucky, she received her BA in psychology from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and her MEd, specializing in college student personnel, and doctoral degree in counseling and personnel services from the University of Louisville (UofL) while working full-time.
McAnulty, whose initiatives focus on graduate student academic success, diversity, professional development, and wellness, began her professional career at the UofL, serving in various roles from 2003-2010, including director of graduate professional development and diversity recruitment in the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies. She went on to Kent State University (2010-2016) where she served as Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, then to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (2016-2021). Currently, she serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs in The Graudate School at UNC Chapel Hill.
But the desire to make a difference started long before her academic titles and accolades.
McAnulty stands with her father, the late Justice William E. McAnulty Jr.
McAnulty stands next to the late U.S. Representative John Lewis, an American politician, statesman, and civil rights activist and leader, following his commencement speech at Caltech’s graduation ceremony on June 15, 2018.
FOLLOWING LEGACIES
McAnulty is the daughter of the late Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. and Brenda G. Hart. Her father became the first, and remains the only, African American to serve on the Supreme Court of Kentucky, while her mother worked for 40 years as a college administrator and faculty member at UofL. She credits both parents for her love of and appreciation of higher education, and for “the importance of being true to oneself while navigating difficult situations.”
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY – A statue of Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. sits in the lobby of the Supreme Court chamber in the Kentucky State Capitol on October 30, 2013, in Frankfort, Kentucky.
McAnulty and her mother, Brenda Hart, in Malibu, CA in 2012.