Cathleen Campbell joined BACR Finance Department in 2003 as a Project Accountant
having previously worked as an Auditor for a public accounting firm. She saw her
employment at BACR as an opportunity to “do something different” professionally. At
the time of her employment the BACR Finance team consisted of four project
accountants. As faith would have it, as aptly described by Cheryl, she would become
the CFO who would lead her team to oversee our complex financial system. As the
agency grew, with corresponding complex funding sources, Cate expanded the
Finance Team from only 4 in 2003 to 15. Many accounting functions once outsourced
were brought in-house under her leadership.
The Finance team members who were lucky to work with Cate got the chance to see
what a great leader she was. To some of us she was our boss, a friend to some and a
mother to others. We always looked forward to her returning from vacations overseas,
knowing that she would bring back souvenirs to share with her team. She had a
tremendous impact on all who got to know her, from continuous professional growth,
educational assistance and our general wellbeing. Her philosophy was that “a sound
mind rests in a sound body”, often encouraging us to take time off to unwind. Her
favorite new years’ pastime was knowing that one of her team members was
participating in the Rose Parade, thanks to her financial support that made it possible
every year.
We are all reeling from the passing of Cate and the wonderful memories we have of
working with her will never fade. Her loss will not only be felt by her team but the entire
agency. May the memories of her wonderful personality, caring nature, and her many
contributions to BACR Finance Department be celebrated by all and may her soul rest
in perfect peace.
With warmth and heartfelt memories, The Finance Team: Cheryl, Arnold, Lisa, Ann, Victoria, Adrianna, Leah, Alicia, Mila, Elizabeth, Laurie, Patrick and Kelly.
"Cate was an instrumental part of our success these past decades and was a great partner to me and a dear friend." - Marty Weinstein
"I remember attending a BACR management retreat in 2005 and being assigned to a small break-out group with Cathleen (Cate). Each break-out group was assigned to a specific BACR industry with the responsibility of outlining its purpose and scope, competitive advantages, and strategies to use. While the other groups were assigned to one of BACR’s existing (and more appealing-sounding) direct service industries, Cate, a couple of other administrative staff, and I were assigned to an obscure and yet-formed industry called Fiscal Sponsorship, which sounded like a rather dry, bureaucratic-sounding, and certainly less appealing industry to talk about. But after sharing an initial shared moment of group lament for the task we were relegated to, Cate took the assignment in stride and helped facilitate a surprisingly engaging and productive discussion, resulting in a thorough draft outline for a proposed Fiscal Sponsorship (aka Fiscal Intermediary) model for BACR. After the management retreat, Cate avidly continued to research Best Practices in the field and over the next several years applied her knowledge to creating and expanding Fiscal Intermediary services as a core and long-standing industry of BACR." - David Wight
"My favorite memory about Cate is coming to the office with her dog and letting him say hello to everyone." - Mariana Lopez Quintanilla
"One of my favorite Cate memories…After every successful program budget meeting, she would hit the red button on her desk that would say’ "well that was easy”…made me laugh every time!" - Adolfo Rivera