Alumni Community
Purpose: Ambassador. Asker. Advocate. Members of Cate’s Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) exemplify these characteristics while acting as governing body of Cate’s Alumni Association (currently 3,500+ alumni worldwide). The overall purpose of the Alumni Leadership Council is four-fold:
- To increase support by alumni to the School through the Cate Fund and other specific endowment/capital campaigns
- To serve as the leadership forum for the expression and exchange of alumni ideas
- To assist in guiding the direction and nature of the Alumni Association and its activities
- To increase relationships between alumni and the School
The Alumni Leadership Council (ALC) shall make recommendations to the Alumni Association, or to the Board of Trustees, through the Alumni Leadership Council President; and the Alumni Leadership Council may recommend the formation of additional committees as it deems necessary.
Structure
ALUMNI LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (meets quarterly)
- President: John Kearney ’00 (Ventura, CA)
- Vice President: Vivan Som ’09 (San Francisco, CA)
- Chair: Micah Carr ’99 (Chicago, IL)
- Chair: Taylor Erling ’12 (Boston, MA)
- Chair: Rodrigo Garza ’99 (Miami, FL)
- Chair: Trey Jackson ’15 (Berkeley, CA)
- Alumni Director: Jake Kim (Santa Barbara, CA)
- Chair: Ali Farr McCarty ’08 (Ventura, CA)
- Chair: Allie Simpson McGuire ’04 (Bowen Island, B.C.)
- Chair: Cooper McGuire ’04 (Bowen Island, B.C.)
- Chair: Kel Mitchel ’12 (Templeton, CA)
- Chair: Lela Murphy ’12 (Cimarron, NM)
- Chair: Jamie Reilly ’88 (Venice, CA)
- Chair: Lily Riesenfeld ’00 (Larkspur, CA)
- Chair: Jonathan Smith ’03 (Brooklyn, NY)
PAST PRESIDENTS
- Lauren Craig Albrecht ’89 (2020-2022)
- Peter Given ’99 (2017-2020)
- Jack Jackson ’95 (2013-2016)
- Casey McCann ’97 (2010-2013)
- Lisa Stanson ’92 (2007-2010)
- Bruce King ’85 (2004-2007)
- Michael Lovell ’87 (1999-2004)
- Mike Jones ’80 (1996-1999)
- Baret Bertea Walker ’84 (1994-1996)
*The Alumni Leadership Council was established in 1947. The first President of the ALC was John Hooker, Class of 1921. For a full list of past Presidents, please contact alumni@cate.org.
ALUMNI VOLUNTEERS
- Cate Fund/Mesa Association Volunteers, Reunion Chairs, & Event Hosts: A group of volunteers who help classmates stay connected by attending events, reunions, and supporting the School through the Cate Fund. If you would like to volunteer for to help with the 2025-2026 Cate Fund, plan an upcoming reunion, or host an Alumni Association event in your area (or virtually), please contact Alumni Director, Jake Kim.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
- 3,500+ members (all those who attended Cate for one full year are recognized as an alumnus of the School, and therefore part of the Alumni Association).
Current Term (Alumni Leadership Council President & Vice Presidents)
Year 1: 2022-2023 (term began July 1, 2022)
Year 2: 2023-2024
Year 3: 2024-2025
*Year 4: 2025-2026 *The Board of Trustees determined that the current ALC President serve one additional year.
*ALC Chairs serve a two (2) year term.
Board of Trustee Meetings 2025-2026
The Alumni Leadership Council President serves on the Board of Trustees. They attend the following Board of Trustee meetings at Cate. The Alumni Leadership Council President provides an update to Trustees on recent and upcoming alumni events and activities.
2025-2026 Meeting Dates
- September 18-20, 2025
- January 15-16, 2026
- April 10-11, 2026
Alumni Leadership Council Meetings 2025-2026
The Alumni Leadership Council meets quarterly during the school year. In addition, the Alumni Leadership Council hosts an in-person meeting, open to all alumni, on the Saturday of Camp Cate (Saturday, June 6, 2026, 10:30 a.m., Johnson Library).
2025-2026 Meeting Dates
- Week of September 8, 2025 (exact day and time TBD)
- Week of November 3, 2025 (exact day and time TBD)
- Week of February 9, 2026 (exact day and time TBD)
- Week of May 4, 2026 (exact day and time TBD)
- June 6, 2026 (Camp Cate)
In 1972, Cate’s Alumni Leadership Council honored its first Distinguished Alumnus/a. Incidentally, he happened to be Cate’s very first graduate, Dohrmann K. Pischel Class of 1914. Since then, the Alumni Leadership Council has honored 38 alumni for distinguished service to the School, a distinguished career in business, or exemplary public service. Recipients of the award include a senator, a noted scientist, several long-time trustees, entrepreneurs, a computer scientist, artists, a national media correspondent, and philanthropists.
The first few awards were displayed in the McBean Library, but soon they became too numerous to fit into one location. The two most recent recipients are now displayed at the entrance to the Johnson Library, with the previous citations contained in a leather-bound book found inside the Johnson Library. In these more prominent locations, it is hoped that current Cate students will develop a better appreciation of the School’s past and, more importantly, an appreciation of how a Cate education can be put to good use. It should be noted that this is not an annual award.
Nominations for the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award can be submitted until December 31, 2025. Please email all nominations to Alumni Director, Jake Kim, at jake_kim@cate.org.
Below is a list of the Distinguished Alumni recipients.
A Better Chance (ABC) and Cate School have collaborated for more than 50 years, bringing students of color who wouldn’t have otherwise had access to the Mesa to share their talents, wisdom, and experiences with the community.
With over 100 ABC scholars graduating from Cate since the 1970s, we share a deep history of connection with the organization. ABC scholars have mutually supported Cate in meaningful ways, including six who have served or currently serve on the Board of Trustees, a dedicated employee who is an administrator, advisor, and dorm parent, and dozens who are class agents, volunteer leaders, and loyal donors.
Servons. The motto of the Cate School community, this notion of service is woven into every aspect of life on and off the Mesa. From its founding, Cate has been led by a volunteer Board of Trustees and served in numerous ways by alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Those who volunteer to better the education and experience of our students, faculty and staff do so out of a shared love for the School.
Cate Fund / Mesa Association
Invite others to join you in supporting the School by making friendly phone calls and sending encouraging emails/messages. Help your class reach new heights in participation. Become a Cate Fund or Mesa Association volunteer and raise vital funds for Cate’s annual operating budget.
Reunion Chair
Volunteer as a reunion chair and serve as a peer-to-peer connection to Cate School. Invite your classmates to join you in returning to the Mesa for an upcoming reunion as well as encourage them to support the Cate Fund in honor of your class celebration.
Host a Regional Reception
The Advancement Office is always grateful for opportunities to gather Cate friends together – in the comfort of a home, restaurant or other venue – in locations in and outside of the U.S.
For More Information Contact:
To become a Cate Fund/Mesa Association volunteer, Reunion Chair volunteer, or host a Regional Reception please contact Jake Kim.