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Cathy Dove, Ed.D.
Principal, Leadership Advisory
Boston MA USA
Get in TouchCathy Dove, Ed.D., a Principal in WittKieffer’s Leadership Advisory solution, is a proven, highly regarded executive and advisor within higher education. A former college president and strategic consultant, Cathy brings an entrepreneurial, mission-driven approach to her work, helping leaders to think and act strategically and embrace change. Cathy’s decades of experience in higher education leadership embodies WittKieffer’s commitment to support impactful leadership in institutions that make a difference in society.
Cathy’s advising expertise includes supporting higher education boards, presidents, and their teams in developing strategic options during times of transition, and importantly, guiding leaders toward successful implementation of their plans. Her focus is often on the development of well-designed change management strategies that support the role of the leader as the most critical criteria for success.
Cathy’s approach to senior advising leverages her years of hands-on leadership in higher education together with her consulting and coaching expertise. Cathy is a certified executive coach and master facilitator.
Representative activities include:
- Launching a significant non-profit organization constituted by numerous universities, corporations, and community groups. Cathy and her team stood up all aspects of the new organization (strategic and transactional), supported board development, and the hiring of the initial organizational leaders.
- Advising several university presidents/boards as they considered M&A and other strategic partnership opportunities.
- Developing complex strategic planning processes to support boards, presidents, and provosts, which resulted in clear and actional plans for the organizations.
- Coaching higher education leaders, helping them develop their individual and leadership team impact.
Among her varied experiences prior to WittKieffer, Cathy was a Principal on the Higher Education Strategy & Operations team for a leading management consulting firm. She focused her efforts on addressing organization transformation and complex strategy needs, with focal areas including growth initiatives, partnership and alliance development, and organizational change opportunities. Prior to consulting, Cathy served six years as President of Paul Smith’s College in New York, overseeing all aspects of the college including academic, external relations, and business affairs. She achieved the highest retention and graduation rates in the institution’s history while tightly controlling expenses and investing in new initiatives. She also steered an inclusive strategic planning process to develop a roadmap for the private undergraduate college, launched strategic partnerships, curriculum reform, and new athletic teams, and added the first graduate programs.
For 25 years, Cathy served Cornell University in roles of increasing responsibility. As Vice President of Cornell Tech in New York City, she led a team that won a global competition to build an innovative applied sciences and engineering graduate-level campus that now brings together global tech entrepreneurs, pioneering business leaders, and students. The launch included partnering with the broader Cornell community, the mayor of New York, and the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology. Prior to that, Cathy was Associate Dean of Administration for Cornell’s College of Engineering, Associate Dean of MBA Programs and Administration for the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Director of Financial Management Service.
Cathy now lives in the Boston area. She is an animal lover, volunteering for a rescue organization when not taking care of her own four pets. She enjoys all outdoor activities in the mountains and on the water.
Distinctions
Certified Executive Coach and Master Facilitator, Center for Executive Coaching
Board Member, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (2018-2020)
Board Member, Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education (2018–2020)
Board Member, The Business Council of New York State (2017–2020)
University of Pennsylvania Distinguished Alumni Award (2015)