Dr. Cate Caldwell serves as a Managing Director in McAllister & Quinn’s Research Universities Practice. She joined the firm in 2025, assisting M&Q clients to grow and diversify their grants portfolios, with a particular focus on institutional grants. She draws upon her 20+ years of experience as a grant writer and research development professional to provide clients with capacity building, strategic intelligence, and proposal development services.
Cate has served as the Director of Grants at multiple institutions of higher education, including Black Hills State University, Willamette University, and University of Detroit Mercy. She has spearheaded successful proposals of up to $21 million to diverse federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Energy. She has also written successful proposals to private funding sources.
Cate earned her M.A. in Sociology from Western Michigan University and her Ph.D. in English from University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is an active member of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP). She currently resides in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.