“I'm even more energized and excited by the impact the Ludeman Center is making–the plans and the footprint– and the energy behind it.”

With her quick wit and sharp mind, Katie MacWilliams is a tremendous asset the Ludeman Center advisory board. Since 2012, the Ludeman Center has been very fortunate to count Katie as an active board member and thoughtful, intelligent donor. Katie has brought a wealth of corporate and non-profit experience with over 30 years of finance experience across various industries. Her expertise includes international business, corporate finance, capital markets, enterprise risk management, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. She served as Corporate Treasurer and division Chief Financial Officer of Coors Brewing Company and as CFO of CaridianBCT, which was acquired by Japanese owned Terumo Transfusion.

Much of Katie’s nonprofit experience has focused on helping women and families in times of transition, and she has contributed her time and talents to Warren Village, the Gathering Place, the Denver Foundation, and the Denver Scholarship Foundation. So why did Katie add the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research to this impressive list? “I really have to believe in the mission and be comfortable that my time and contributions are being stewarded and managed in a way that I think honors my wishes. Increasingly, if the organization is local, I want to know who's running it, what their vision and mission are, and believe that my dollars are going to be well used. I get this with the Ludeman Center,” Katie shared.

Katie possesses a unique talent in making financial statements highly transparent and helping people with various levels of financial literacy understand an organization’s financial growth and trajectory to sustainability. “Katie can transform a dry, complicated spreadsheet into a comprehensible, interesting story. Plus, she is so much fun to work with," Ludeman Center Director and co-founder Dr. Judy Regensteiner points out.

Katie regularly attends the Ludeman Center Let’s Talk: Conversations about Women’s Health lecture series. “The Let’s Talk lecture series is a fantastic resource for the community. I really enjoy learning about relevant health topics from experts on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. The take-away information is priceless,” Katie mentions.

Katie is equally drawn to another key component of the Ludeman Center mission: mentoring junior faculty scientists. Having served as a mentor to many women throughout her career, she is particularly passionate about supporting the career development of young, talented researchers. Some of her generous gifts to the Ludeman Center have been directed to mentoring and training for researchers as well as to supporting the Ludeman Center's biennial National Conference on Women’s Health and Sex Differences Research.

Thanks to Katie’s strong leadership skills and commitment to sustained growth, the Ludeman Center is implementing a bold vision and strategy for women’s health and sex differences research over the next decade. Katie shared, “I'm even more energized and excited by the impact the Ludeman Center is making – the plans and the footprint – and the energy behind it.” And the Ludeman Center is excited to continue this with Katie.