Kate Graham researches, writes, speaks and teaches about politics in Canada's cities.
She holds a PhD in Political Science (Local Government), and her research examined the power of urban mayors in Canada. Kate is an Assistant Professor at Huron University College (Political Science, MOS and GLE) and teaches part-time in Western University's Local Government Program. In 2021, Kate was awarded the MacNaughton Prize for Excellence in Teaching together with Dr. Neil Bradford.
Kate is a Senior Advisor with Colliers Project Leaders, working with municipal governments across Canada on issues of governance, decision making, priority setting, community engagement and research. Kate has been a consultant for the past five years, building on a decade working in local government -- most recently as the Director, Community & Economic Innovation at the City of London. She is a co-author of the textbook, Local Government in Practice: Cases in Governance, Planning and Policy (2019).
Kate is the creator and host of Canada 2020's No Second Chances, a popular podcast about the rise and fall of women in Canada’s most senior political roles. She wrote two books about this project: Govern Like a Girl (2021) and No Second Chances (2022).
Bottom line: Kate believes that politics can be a force of good (evident in her work, and a few political adventures of her own).
Kate lives with her partner Jesse Helmer and their daughter Flora in London, Ontario.