Statewide Nonprofit Organization California Forward (CA FWD) Announces Kate Gordon as CEO
20 May 2024 - 8:59PM
Statewide nonprofit organization California Forward (CA FWD) is
pleased to announce Kate Gordon as its new Chief Executive Officer.
"CA FWD provides the essential interconnective tissue between
the state’s diverse regions and policymakers in Sacramento, with a
clear focus on building a more sustainable, resilient, and
inclusive economy," says Kate. "I'm excited to lead the
organization into its new chapter, and to grow it into something
even more exceptional."
Kate brings to CA FWD a wealth of knowledge from the public and
private sectors, including as Director of the Governor’s Office of
Planning and Research and as Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the
Department of Energy. With decades of experience as an organizer,
lawyer, and policy analyst, Kate’s expertise focuses on finding
practical, nonpartisan and locally focused solutions to drive
broadly shared prosperity.
“We are thrilled that Kate is joining CA FWD, to help grow and
guide the organization in its next chapter,” say Catherine Baker
and Gustavo Herrera, CA FWD board co-chairs. “California has an
opportunity to be the model for achieving racial and geographic
equity, environmental sustainability and economic growth and Kate’s
experience and vast knowledge are the perfect fit to help us rise
to this challenge.”
CA FWD’s co-chairs recognize Interim CEO Ismael “Ish” Herrera,
saying, “Ish has provided essential stewardship of the organization
during the past year, and we are very happy he’s agreed to stay on
as Executive Director of the California Stewardship Network.”
Kate is no stranger to CA FWD. As Director of the Governor’s
Office of Planning and Research during the beginning of Governor
Newsom’s first term, Kate worked closely with the organization to
design and implement Regions Rise Together, a program that built
the foundation for what became the California Economic Resilience
Fund (CERF), recently rebranded to California Jobs First. In
recognition of this work, Kate was the recipient of the California
Steward Leader Award at the Economic Summit in Bakersfield in
2022.
After leaving state government in 2021, Kate continued her work
on sustainable and equitable economic development as Senior Advisor
to U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the Department of
Energy. In this role, she created and implemented the “Communities
LEAP” program, which provides cross-program, cross-technology
support to communities looking to attract energy investments that
also lower bills, provide more reliable energy access and create
family-supporting jobs. She co-created the agency’s
“Community Benefits Plan” structure, which requires that applicants
for public dollars show a clear commitment to providing local
economic and environmental benefits in the places where energy
projects are located.
Among Kate’s first priorities at CA FWD are guiding the planning
of the 13th annual California Economic Summit and re-investing in
the California Stewardship Network, which lifts up regional
perspectives from across the state. Kate is also leaning in on
identifying public and private investments to support several of
the key policy areas identified in CA FWD’s annual Roadmap to
Shared Prosperity, including clean energy manufacturing and supply
chains, and pro-housing strategies that build community wealth
while reducing climate risk.
What others are saying:
California Stewardship Network (CSN) Co-Chairs Evan Schmidt and
Michelle Decker:“As Co-Chairs of the California Stewardship Network
and participants in the CEO search process, we were thrilled to
find in Kate a candidate who understands the important role of
regions to inform California state policy. We believe regional
innovation is the heartbeat of California and that every region
should have a seat at the policy table. We look forward to
continuing our partnership with California Forward and Kate to do
this important work.”Young Leaders Advisory Council (YLAC)
Co-Chairs Josh Lewis and Valerie Johnson:"CA FWD's young leaders
extend our warmest congratulations to Kate Gordon on her
appointment as Chief Executive Officer. As both CA FWD and its
Young Leaders Advisory Council enter a new chapter, Ms. Gordon's
experience, leadership and vision will be invaluable in advancing
the youth voice in intergenerational policymaking. Her appointment
signals an exciting era of growth and opportunity and we eagerly
anticipate her partnership to forge a bright future for the
organization and California."
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ABOUT CA FWD
California Forward (CA FWD) leads a statewide movement, bringing
people together across communities, regions and interests to
improve government and create inclusive, sustainable growth for
everyone. A 501(c)(3) organization, CA FWD drives collective action
to identify solutions that can be taken to scale to meet the
challenges the state is facing. CA FWD serves as the backbone for
the California Stewardship Network, an alliance of regional
economic development leaders, and is home to the California
Economic Summit and the California Dream Index. To view our agenda
for the year, see the 2024 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity.
Sarah Walsh
California Forward (CA FWD)
sarah@cafwd.org