Catherine Kendall

Lecturer

Catherine Kendall headshot

Doctor of Education (EdD) in Education Policy, Drexel University, 2014
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management Information Systems, University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management, 1999
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Agricultural and Managerial Economics, University of California, Davis, 1993

Research Expertise
Macroeconomic history and trends, Domestic violence and marginalized populations, Intersectionality, Socio-ecological framework

Areas of Expertise
Economics, Management & Organizations, Technology Management

Catherine Kendall has worked in the information technology field for nearly 30 years in multiple capacities. After graduating from UC Davis with a BS in Agricultural and Managerial Economics, she began working for Accenture as a programmer. After two years with Accenture, she was recruited by Deloitte to perform business process reengineering and system testing.

After four years in consulting, Kendall returned to UC Davis to attend the Graduate School of Management, where she had the opportunity to be an accounting teaching assistant for undergraduates; this is where she discovered her love for teaching. After receiving her MBA, Kendall worked for IBM for over 10 years in increasingly senior roles, overseeing operational contracts exceeding $868 million. While at IBM, Kendall lived in Silicon Valley, Sacramento and New York.

Kendall returned to school after her tenure at IBM and earned her Doctor of Education in education policy. Her dissertation focused on the experience of domestic violence among African American, Russian and Hispanic women in Sacramento County.

After completing her doctoral studies, Kendall worked as Managing Director at KAI Partners and was later recruited by the State of California Department of Conservation to serve as chief information officer for just under three years.

Kendall returned to her Managing Director position at KAI Partners, where she is currently employed. She continues to provide consulting services for organizations, including the State University of New York, University of California, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other California public sector organizations.

Never forgetting her love for teaching, Kendall teaches as an adjunct at both Sierra College in Information Technology and at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. She is passionate about helping students advance their knowledge, skills and capabilities, firmly believing that a quality education is a differentiator in the workforce. Kendall is committed to sharing her experiences and lessons learned with students and mentoring them outside of the classroom.

Kendall holds multiple professional certifications:

  • Project Management Professional (PMP), 2002 - present
  • Certified Scrum Master (CSM), 2014 - present
  • IBM Certified Project Executive (2008)
  • IBM Project Management Professions Board Member (2004 - 2010)
  • IBM Certified Executive Project Manager (2005)
  • IBM Certified Project Management Professional (2002)

In her spare time, Kendall enjoys spending time with her husband and five dogs. She loves to read (especially macroeconomic history), watch scary movies from the ’80s, go to Orange Theory and play piano. She recently became a vegan and is (surprisingly) loving it!

Kendall's favorite quote is from Abraham Lincoln: "Whatever you are, be a good one."

And finally, please call her 'Catherine.'

Awards

Oracle Innovation Excellence Award for Data Management (2017)
Oracle Innovation Excellence Award Finalist for Data Analytics (2017)
Drexel University, Academic Excellence Award, Magna Cum Laude (2014)
University of California, Davis, Graduation School of Management Beta Gamma Sigma, Magna Cum Laude (1999)
University of California, Davis, Outstanding Senior Award (1993)
University of California, Davis, Cum Laude (1993)