Kate is a native of Corpus Christi, TX and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising/Public Relations from Texas Christian University.  After graduation, she returned to Corpus to become the Public Relations Manager for the Texas State Aquarium, where she worked before joining H-E-B.  Since joining H-E-B, Kate has served in many roles including Host and Producer of H-E-B’s live, interactive distance learning program TeleVentures, Director of Public Affairs for the Central Texas Region, Director of Advertising and now Vice President of Corporate Communication & Engagement at the company’s headquarters in San Antonio where she oversees all internal media and communications as well as employee engagement programs.

Kate has always been passionate about Texas education and spent her time in Austin serving on a variety of boards including the Texas Fine Arts Association, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Capital Area Workforce Development Board, and the Austin Library Foundation.  She also studied education policy for 2 years at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin. In 2006, Kate was awarded Ford’s Salute to Education Award for her work in creating the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, the largest monetary awards program in the state honoring outstanding public school teachers, principals and districts. She currently serves on the Boards of the Witte Museum, KLRN Public Television and the San Antonio Sports Foundation.

In 2011, Kate was tasked with launching the company’s early childhood literacy program called Read 3 – a program that focuses on educating parents and caregivers about the need to read to children through in-store literacy centers and marketing activities, a community outreach curriculum and access to free and affordable books. The goal of H-E-B’s Read 3 Program is to ensure that all children have an opportunity to begin their school experience with an equal opportunity to succeed. In addition to developing and implementing a Family Literacy Workshop in partnership with local school districts and universities, H-E-B hosts a Texas-sized book drive each year as part of the Read 3 campaign to collect children’s books to redistribute to Texas families.

Kate also leads the H-E-B Health & Wellness Task Force, heads H-E-B’s Statewide Advisory Board on Health, and oversees all company-sponsored initiatives related to health and wellness including the Slim Down Showdown, a lifestyle improvement competition. Kate continues to lead the evolution of Healthy at H-E-B, an initiative designed to educate employees and customers on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition, fitness and regular health screenings.