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Senior Employer Relations Manager, Leeds School of Business

Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18) specializes in helping others live authentically—a quest she understands, thanks to the many turns her path has taken.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to just help people understand themselves and have empathy for others and understand others,” she said. “More purposeful and authentic living is what I strive for in my own life, and I hope that the services I provide can help give that to others.”

Finding a Place

Growing up in nearby Lafayette, Minnihan was unsure about attending CU. She got accepted for engineering but quickly transferred to Leeds because she wanted to work with people and understood the value a business degree could provide.

As a student, Minnihan’s numerous extracurriculars included playing Ultimate Frisbee on the women’s club team, studying abroad in Prague, participating in the Leeds Scholars Program and creating a peer leadership program for the Presidents Leadership Class.

"When you're a student, there are so many opportunities to just go for it, and so many resources,” she said. “Even now, working at Leeds, I feel it’s crazy how much I see that.”

Although Minnihan was unsure what she wanted to do after graduation, her time at Leeds allowed her to test out a variety of options. She obtained a certificate from the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR), co-created a non-profit focused career fair and interned in HR with the resort company Intrawest.

“Even the power of figuring out what you don't want to do is amazing,” she said. “I had a lot of unpaid internships throughout my time at Leeds that were super helpful for understanding more about what I like and what I don't like.”

It took a few more years of experimentation before Minnihan found her passion. After graduation, she worked as an au pair in Switzerland before accepting a job with EF Education First, a company that organizes experiential learning trips overseas. After a year, she applied to a position at Leeds that would enable her to focus more on program management while still working in education.

“Even the power of figuring out what you don’t want to do is amazing.”

Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18)

“Being at Leeds, I feel like I get to live out my passion for education in my work, while also being able to explore all these other avenues that I aspire to in the future,” she said.

Minnihan’s position at Leeds has focused on both experiential learning and employer relations. Working with recruiters and students inspired her to get her professional coaching certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and to launch her own business, , which offers training for individuals and teams based on the Enneagram personality tool.

“Shifting more into coaching and getting my ICF certification was a big deal,” she said. “[So was] starting to work more with clients and think about, ‘What does it look like to help people achieve their goals, either career-related or just in general?’”

Inspiring others

In her Leeds role, Minnihan loves working with students. Although she works remotely from San Diego, Kate returns to campus throughout the semester for career fairs and events, and she also travels with students to major cities around the country for career treks.

"It's very cool to feel not only the more tangible outcomes that are helping place students in internships and jobs, but also the more human side and relational part of the journey of getting to see how students grow and change over time,” she said.

Minnihan’s search for authenticity is ongoing. Her most recent endeavor is obtaining a master’s degree in Learning Studies and Human Development from CU Denver. Regardless of what she is doing, Minnihan strives to accept opportunities that come her way and inspire others to dream big.

“It's rewarding to say, ‘Hey, I saw the students’ needs and I was able to help them find the solution,’” she said.