Cate McLeane

Biography

Cate is an innovation and strategy leader whose career sits at the intersection of social impact, education, and human-centered systems design. She currently serves as Managing Director of Belmont Innovation Labs at Belmont University, where she leads the strategic integration and growth of the Labs’ core capabilities — advancing innovation design, cross-sector collaboration, operational excellence, and team culture in service of human flourishing. Cate is known as an integrator and partnership builder, bringing together diverse leaders, sectors, and ideas to drive meaningful, sustained change. Her work is grounded in the belief that transformation happens at the speed of trust and relationships, and she specializes in facilitating innovation processes that help organizations and communities solve complex challenges together. Prior to Belmont, Cate held senior leadership roles at Duke University’s Ormond Center and served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her alma mater, as an adjunct instructor in Cause Communications. Earlier in her career she served as Chief Operating Officer of a social impact marketing agency, Angel Oak Creative, and helped design leadership and social innovation programs through the H.E. Butt Family Foundation. She began her career in community and economic development in inner city Memphis, TN. A Nashville native with deep Tennessee roots, Cate brings both professional expertise and personal commitment to the communities she serves. Outside of work, she enjoys good coffee and time outdoors with her husband, Will, their three daughters, and their black lab.