Kate Catherall

About Kate Catherall

I’m the founder and CEO of Slow Clap, a boutique consultancy that partners with civic, philanthropic, and advocacy organizations to develop public engagement strategy, craft narratives, and build movements. Over the years, I’ve led trainings on how to build digitally sophisticated grassroots campaigns across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, working with leaders hailing from more than 40 countries. I got my start as an organizer on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and have since supported dozens of candidates and rising stars like Cory Booker, Lauren Underwood, Andy Kim, and Lina Hidalgo. Before founding Slow Clap, I served as Senior Advisor and Chief Engagement Officer at Avalanche Insights, where my team used scaled qualitative research to shape emotionally resonant messaging for values-driven campaigns, causes, and companies. During that time, my team guided over $1B in media spending and developed narratives on issues like clean energy, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, gender equity, and affordable housing.I’m also the co-founder and former board chair of Arena, an organization dedicated to training and supporting the next generation of civic leaders and political professionals. Since 2017, Arena has helped to elect 61 candidates to Congress, state, and local offices, and has trained more than campaign strategists and organizers through Arena Academy. Earlier in my career, I was a Senior Vice President at 270 Strategies, where I partnered with candidates, advocacy organizations, and philanthropies including the Knight Foundation, Educators 4 Excellence, Partners in Health, One Voice Movement, and the Cornell Alliance for Science.I live in Oakland, California with my partner Conrad, our daughter Lola, and our retriever mix, Louie. Outside of work, you’ll usually find me outdoors, traveling, writing, or making pizza. I nerd out on all things social science, human-centered design, and the arts.

Experience

1. Founder and Principal

   Slow Clap

   Jan 2023 — Present · Oakland, CA, US

   Slow Clap is a boutique consultancy that partners with civic, philanthropic, and advocacy organizations to develop public engagement strategy, craft narratives, and build movements.

Education

• Indiana University Bloomington

  BA, Political Science, Theatre & Drama

  2005 — 2009

Skills

• Voter Contact
• Public Relations
• Public Speaking
• Community Outreach
• Policy Analysis
• Community Organizing
• Political Organization
• Public Policy
• Grassroots
• Grassroots Organizing
• Leadership
• Gotv
• Politics
• Volunteer Management
• Training
• Legislation
• Political Science
• Fundraising
• Policy
• Volunteer Recruiting
• Political Communication
• Coalitions
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Political Campaigns
• Nonprofits
• Campaigns
• Social Media
• Event Planning
• Voter Registration
• Political Consulting
• Strategic Communications
• Votebuilder
• Research