We're pleased to announce Catherine McCarthy as our new Senior Head of Advancement at Urban Ventures. Catherine is a well-regarded fundraising and community development leader with over 15 years' experience. Over her career, she has raised more than $75m for economic development, housing, education, family services, and small business development.
Urban Ventures CEO, Erica Schimelpfenig, shared her enthusiasm for the role, “Catherine brings experience working with different funding opportunities that are new to Urban Ventures. Her skills are complementary to our existing team, allowing us to do more.”
Erica’s excitement extends beyond just the added capacity and skillsets. “She is a good values fit for Urban Ventures. Her past roles show a clear passion for working alongside of BIPOC communities, that experience is something I’m grateful she brings to the table.”
About Catherine
Catherine grew up in Minnesota and has built her career around strengthening economic systems, education systems, child and family services, and entrepreneurship. She received her undergrad from Minnesota State University, Mankato before going on to obtain a Master’s in African Economies from Yale. She spent time abroad, earning an additional MA in migration studies from the University of Kent Brussels School of International Studies. It was in Brussels and Geneva that Catherine gained fundraising and development experience, working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UPEACe, a United Nations-mandated university.
More recently, she’s worked in the Twin Cities to secure funding for important local causes, building both her skills and her network. She comes to Urban Ventures ready to lead the next chapter of fundraising for the organization.
“Catherine comes to us with an extensive background, and we are incredibly excited about the experience, relationships, and perspective she’ll bring to Urban Ventures,” said Andrew Lonsbury, Senior Advisor of Advancement. “I’ll be shifting to support Catherine, and I’m excited about this transition. It gives us the opportunity to strengthen our fundraising leadership while allowing me to focus exclusively on the relationships that fuel our mission.”
We are excited that she’s joined our team and what she brings to the table. More than that, we are grateful for her passion about Urban Ventures’ work.
Catherine shared, “I look forward to working alongside Urban Ventures’ dedicated team to deliver upon an incredible mission. I’m excited to be a part of building healthy communities.”