Kate McCarthy, PhD, is Dean of Undergraduate Education at California State University, Chico, where she has worked for over 25 years.  In her current position she oversees General Education, the First-Year Experience program, the Honors program, the Office of Civic Engagement, and the Chico Student Success Center.  She also leads campus-wide initiatives aimed at improving retention and graduation rates for all students and closing equity gaps faced by students from historically underserved groups.  With a Chico State colleague she was recently awarded a $3 million Department of Education grant to support Hispanic and low income students’ preparation for, access to, and success in post-baccalaureate degree and credential programs.

Prior to assuming her current position in 2017, Dr. McCarthy served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Comparative Religion and Humanities.  Her research focuses on interreligious relations and she is a leader in the emerging academic field of Interreligious Studies.  In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, she is the author of Interfaith Encounters in America (Rutgers University Press, 2007) and co-editor of God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture (Routledge, 2001, 2010).  She also co-directed a $100,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to develop the California Pluralism Project, a digital resource on religious diversity in California.

An award-winning teacher, Dr. McCarthy served as Interim Director of Faculty Development at Chico State from 2014-2015, where she created multiple programs to support faculty in implementing research-driven innovations in teaching.

Dr. McCarthy is active in her community through regular service at the Torres Community Shelter and in facilitating community programs that foster political depolarization.  She has served on the Inspire Board of Directors since 2016 and is the proud parent of two Inspire graduates.