Kate Connor

Kate Connor has been a passionate advocate for community colleges, its students, and the community for more than 15 years. She currently serves as the vice president of academic and student affairs at Harry S Truman College in Chicago, Illinois.

Over her time at City Colleges, she has partnered with local and state agencies, leading an array of committees that support early childhood and higher education. Previously, while serving as a dean in academic affairs, Kate led Truman College’s Center of Excellence in Education and Human and Natural Sciences. In this role, Kate provided oversight of early childhood and education programs, college-wide career supports, and other strategic partnerships in education. In 2018, Kate led the launch of a multi-million-dollar scholarship for the early childhood workforce in Chicago.

In her time as a tenured faculty member, She served as department chair, assessment committee chair, and as an executive member of the faculty council. While on faculty, Kate developed community cohort models to support certificate and degree attainment for early childhood teachers. She also launched a 2-Gen cohort project to assist student-parents in returning to school. As an innovative leader, She is focused on institutional culture, student experience, and community engagement.

She holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master of science degree from the Erikson Institute, and is pursuing a doctorate in philosophy through a joint program at Loyola University and Erikson Institute.