Kate Barr, former president and CEO of Propel Nonprofits and current senior advisor for the Minnesota CDFI Coalition, has been named the 2024 recipient of the Melrose Twin Cities Principled Leadership Award at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business.
For 23 years, Barr reshaped how nonprofit organizations approach financial stability and business leadership. Under her guidance, a small loan fund to help nonprofits access capital grew into Propel Nonprofits, a comprehensive resource for nonprofit business management.
“Propel helps to put the puzzle together for nonprofits,” she explained. “Everything’s interlocked. No one is working alone, and understanding how foundations work, how state government works, how fundraising works, how social enterprise works – that’s what makes the difference.”
Colleagues describe Barr as a “champion of nonprofits,” praising her powerful mentorship of emerging leaders. “By equipping nonprofit leaders to be actually really effective business leaders, is powerful,” said Barr.
Her leadership philosophy is grounded in clear principles: “The mission and values are your North Star.” Now a faculty member at the University of Minnesota and a board member for three nonprofits, Barr continues to champion principled leadership. “When it comes to principled leadership, values are the beginning, middle, and the end.”
Established in 2021, the Melrose Twin Cities Principled Leadership Award honors Ken Melrose, a lifelong advocate for ethics and servant leadership. Read more about the Melrose and The Toro Center for Principled Leadership at the University of St. Thomas.
