About Kate

Dr. Kate Graham researches, writes, speaks and teaches about public policy, governance and politics in Canada's communities. 

Kate teaches in the Governance, Leadership & Ethics (GLE) Program at Huron University. Kate began teaching at Huron in 2019, and joined the GLE team in 2021. As of July 1, 2026, Kate serves as the Coordinator (Chair) of the GLE Program. To date, Kate has taught nearly 1800 undergraduate students, mostly in small class sizes (usually 30 to 50 student cohorts) characteristic of the learning experience at Huron. Kate is also a graduate of and teaches in Western University’s Local Government Program. She has taught Western Master of Public Administration (MPA) students since Winter 2019.

Kate was recognized by students with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Award for Teaching Excellence in 2025. She is also the recipient of the Nelson Heapy Award for Outstanding Faculty Research (2025) and the MacNaughton Prize for Excellence in Teaching, alongside Dr. Neil Bradford (2021), for her work at Huron.

Kate holds a PhD in Political Science (Local Government). Her doctoral research examined the role and power of urban mayors in Canada.

Kate has 15 years of professional experience working in local government. Kate began her career with a decade at the City of London, most recently as the Director, Community & Economic Innovation. In this role, she was responsible for government relations, economic partnerships, culture and strategic initiatives. She was recognized with a Top 20 Under 40 award by Business London for her work in this role. After she began teaching, Kate left the City of London and began doing part-time advisory work supporting local governments across Canada. Kate joined Colliers Project Leaders in 2021 as a Senior Advisor. Kate is a co-author of the textbook, Local Government in Practice: Cases in Governance, Planning and Policy (2019). 

In 2023, Kate and partner Jesse Helmer wrote a paper called Lonely at the Top which identified the steady decline in the tenure of CAOs in Alberta over a 20-year period, driven by changes in council governance dynamics. This paper led to multiple speaking engagements and research interests, and ultimately led to the launch of a boutique research firm focused on local governance in Canada: Local Matters.

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 three books about this project: Govern Like a Girl (2021), No Second Chances (2022), and Run the World Like a Girl (2025).

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, Canada.