Helen Katich

Senior Program Officer for Community Development

Helen Katich’s professional career has focused on public service and community development. She has over a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership, government service, stakeholder engagement, and federal and local government grantmaking. 

Before joining the Gates Family Foundation, Helen served as the Director of Federal Grants and Investment for United States Senator John Hickenlooper (CO). There, she developed a new legislative portfolio focused on driving public funding toward critical infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic development initiatives. Prior to her work for the Senator in Washington D.C., she served as his Western Colorado Regional Director, where she led and facilitated policy conversations and coalition-building across the state’s diverse rural communities. 

Before serving in government, Helen was the Managing Director of the Food Systems Respond & Rebuild Fund where she helped to secure and deploy rapid-response funding for Colorado’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior, she served as the CEO of Fresh Food Connect and as a Programs Manager at Metro Caring. Born and raised in Colorado, Helen is a product of Denver Public Schools. She holds a degree in Geography from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a focus on community studies from the school’s  INVST Community Leadership Program.