Kathy Smith was the director of institutional advancement at CGD. Before joining the Center, she was the director of institutional giving at the Urban Institute, where she focused on building relationships with foundations and corporate funders and on implementing cultivation and engagement strategies with program teams.
Before joining Urban, Smith worked for the Committee for Economic Development (CED). In addition to foundation and corporate fundraising, she led CED’s program development efforts and worked with the finance and executive team to implement grant management systems and best practices. Before CED, Smith headed the foundation fundraising team at the Center for American Progress as associate director of foundation relations. While there, she created a comprehensive plan to raise half the organization’s overall budget through new cultivation and stewardship of existing relationships.
