Kate Francis has more than 20 years of experience advancing women’s economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic growth across Asia and the Pacific. She specializes in social analysis, digital inclusion, and worker rights, with expertise spanning sectors including e-commerce, transportation, energy, and global value chains.
At Cadmus, Kate leads programs supporting women-owned businesses and widespread economic participation for clients that have included U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Prior to joining Cadmus, she held senior leadership and advisory roles with The Asia Foundation, GoodWeave International, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she managed multimillion-dollar initiatives focused on women’s rights, labor protections, anti-trafficking efforts, and care economy development.
Kate is a published author, workshop facilitator, and speaker on women’s entrepreneurship and social analysis development. She holds a master’s degree in international development studies from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. She is also a fellow of the Truman National Security Project and has intermediate proficiency in Mandarin Chinese.
