Bio

Kate MacKinnon Kiser
Oregon
Building Team Manager
TriMet

Kate has been involved with the Oregon affiliate from its early days joining in 2007 as a mentor back at her first job in design for ZGF Architects.  Board Member since 2013, Member of the Program and Scholarship Committee, Program lead mentor since 2015 and Secretary on the Board’s Executive Committee since 2019.  She is well-connected in Portland’s architectural and construction communities and draws upon those connections to recruit mentors, board members and funding.  She is currently active in outreach efforts to help increase diversity in gender, ethnicity and industries represented on our board and increase recruitment of women and minorities for mentors. As Chair of Portland’s Scholarship Committee for the past two years, she is a strong advocate for supporting students’ post-high school education. She has been leading the way to revamp how ACE scholarships are awarded to ensure underrepresented students in the ACE fields are better represented in our scholarship awards.  Kate’s passion for the program, combined with her ability to relate to the students and help the mentors connect with the students and each other is unparalleled.  She has become one of the pillars of the ACE program in Portland. That foundation is built not just on what she has done for students but also for the mentors.  She exemplifies humble leadership, and she is the glue that connects all of us together.