Our Team Kate Mikesell Chief Communications Officer

Kate is a strategic communications leader with a wide range of external affairs experience and a passion for driving positive global impact.

Kate joined Breakthrough Energy from Hilton, where she drove communications and corporate responsibility strategies for the hospitality giant for nearly 12 years. During her first decade at Hilton, Kate was a leader in the company’s global communications and external affairs department, orchestrating key internal and external communications campaigns, as well as establishing several specialty communications functions within the wider department. Kate then served as Hilton’s head of Corporate Responsibility and President of the Hilton Effect Foundation, the company’s international philanthropic arm. In these roles, she was responsible for leading Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy, designed to drive responsible travel and tourism globally and support the thousands of communities where the company operated.

Prior to joining Hilton, Kate worked for Edelman Public Relations, directing public affairs efforts for health care related companies and initiatives.

Kate received her B.A. from Villanova University, where she double majored in history and communications. Kate is a proud native of Washington, D.C., where she still lives with her partner Ted and two delightful children, Gwyneth and Fletcher.