Katie Connor
Executive Director
Katie Connor joined the Distinguished Careers Institute as its Executive Director in July 2020. In this role, she works closely with the Faculty Director, other Stanford faculty and external advisors to develop the strategic vision and goals for the program and ensures that plans are implemented to achieve them. Katie manages the program’s staff and oversees all program activities, including fund-raising and grant writing. As a former DCI Fellow (Class of 2018-19), Katie is passionate about the importance of life-long learning and the unique connections that DCI provides for Fellows, students, and the broader Stanford community.
Prior to coming to DCI, Katie was the Executive Director of Undergraduate Career Development for the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder and led the Leeds Mentoring Office. There, Katie led a team responsible for delivering professional skills and career connections to over 3,500 undergraduates. In addition, Leeds’ mentoring office engaged over 1,200 peer, alumni, and executive mentors to provide personalized support for students throughout their four years. Through strong partnerships and the innovative application of technology, the Leeds Career Office consistently placed over 90% of all Leeds graduates within 3 months of graduation. Katie has presented at a number of national conferences and webinars on mentoring, the use of Salesforce in higher education, and the power of data and partnerships to drive student success.
Earlier in her career, Katie worked for over 15 years in engineering, project management, and management consulting with Bechtel Corporation, Sohio Petroleum Company, and Decision Focus Inc. She has entrepreneurial experience, as one of the founders of a retail coffee business in Hong Kong, the Pacific Coffee Company, and has served on a number of non-profit and educational boards including, the Dairy Center for the Arts, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), Dawson School, and Friends School.
Katie earned a BS in Applied Earth Science and MS in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.