ASSOCIATION BUSINESS

A New Kind of President

Kate Atkinson Kaplan, G95, never went through freshman orientation or painted the cannon, but she sure knows Tufts. Currently the director of development at the Two Ten Footwear Foundation in Waltham, Massachusetts, she spent twelve years on the Hill as a staff member and graduate student. Kaplan recently shared a little bit about herself and her hopes for her new post as president of the Tufts University Alumni Association (TUAA).

You went to Oberlin as an undergrad. Why volunteer for Tufts?

I’m totally in love with Tufts. I started working here when I was twenty-two as a staff assistant to Professor Rob Hollister in Urban and Environmental Policy and got my master’s. My Tufts experience was really about growing as a young professional, and it was a very influential and positive part of my life.

How does your background as a Tufts graduate student affect how you see the university and its alumni?

I think we need to stop automatically thinking of Tufts students as undergraduates and consider the different experiences people have of the university. I’d like to see us build unity among the schools and stronger relationships among their respective alumni. We’re all Jumbos, and we can only benefit from engaging with each other.

What do you love most about Tufts?

I love the people. Tufts alumni are so smart and passionate, and I’m proud to be aligned with the TUAA. I also love seeing the school’s progress. I’ve seen a rapid maturing of the organization, and it’s really exciting. Tufts’ focus on international relations, public service, and environmentalism, and now the new T10 Strategic Plan initiatives to bridge the different disciplines—they all really resonate with me.

What do you hope to accomplish as president?

I see myself as a conductor whose responsibility is to build the leadership that’s going to continue to evolve the TUAA. I’d like to further improve communication with Tufts alumni and encourage alumni to become involved in different ways. We’ve also been hearing from undergraduates that they need help with their careers, so another goal is to really tie alumni to students, amplifying what Career Services is already doing so well.

If not on the Tufts campus, where might we find Kate Kaplan?

I’m usually spending time with my family—my husband, two teenage daughters, and our adorable mini-goldendoodle dog, Chester. I’ve been a Girl Scout leader for the past nine years, and I’m also a back-of-the-pack triathlete. A real swimmer wouldn’t recognize what I do as the crawl, but all you have to do is get from point A to point B. If I can do a sprint-length triathlon, anyone can.