Kate Kearney

Senior Marketing Manager | Associate

Passionate about community engagement and strategic planning, Kate Kearney leads MWA’s marketing team as the Senior Marketing Manager. Actively involved in local non-profits and SMPS Oregon, she is excited to apply her business development and strategic marketing skills to the growth of the firm.

Previously a professional ballet dancer with training from San Francisco Ballet School, Kate found her way to the Pacific Northwest dancing with Oregon Ballet Theater then earning her degree in Art History from Lewis and Clark College. After interning with the Portland Art Museum in the marketing department, she worked at a Portland architecture firm for 10 years leading marketing and communications. She brings experience in proposal writing, content marketing, and business development strategy to MWA’s mission of sustainability and equity.

With knowledge of strategic planning practices and effective community engagement practices, she hopes to enrich the firm’s presence within Portland and the Bay Area. Her background and experience inform her marketing approach, which centers around supporting the client and end-users with effective and compassionate communication. Through capture planning, de-briefs, and post-project engagement, she ensures that MWA’s work continues to serve the community after each project’s completion.

In addition to building strong business relationships, she takes on an active mentorship role with her team and the broader community. As the Senior Marketing Manager, she advocates for her team’s career growth with continued education and support. Outside of the firm, she has served on the board of Docomomo US/Oregon and SMPS Oregon as the former Chapter president.

A firm believer in a healthy work-life balance, Kate spends her weekends playing tennis, watching movies—Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet is one of her favorites—and spending time with her dog Finn and cat Raven. She also loves staying up to date with interior design trends, and always looks for new ways to rearrange and decorate her home.