Team Spotlight: Catherine Godwin

Meet Catherine, Director of Operations

What brought you to CTA?

After more than a decade in nonprofit work, all roads led back to policy. I saw that the closer I got to helping great advocates get elected, the more impact I could have—even as a tiny player. Heading into 2025, I wanted to be somewhere deeply rooted in progressive values and genuinely living its mission. I love being a "behind the scenes” support person to high-performing, smart, kind people. CTA Proggers get to use their full skill sets and show up as themselves every day, so I was sold.

In 5 words or less, what do you do at CTA? 

Business operations: finance, people, systems.

What’s your proudest work accomplishment? 

During the COVID-19 response, I helped rapidly scale a food distribution system across the Tampa Bay area. I led a department coordinating nearly 1,000 food donors and 500+ distribution sites to serve tens of thousands of families. After the emergency phase, I was trusted to lead a team in building a five-year strategy to shift from food lines to economic security as the root solution to hunger. Being trusted with that kind of growth and change was an honor. 

What’s something on your desk or your workspace that inspires you? 

My kids’ art and photos and old notes of encouragement from friends and coworkers who have made an impact on who I am. Plants that I can’t keep alive.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? 

Chocolate chip cookie dough (Tillamook or Breyers only. Soft-frozen supremacy.)

Any hidden talents we should know about? 

I live by “everything is figure-out-able.” Want to build a crime victim hotline? Done. Need to run fiber optic cables in a campaign HQ? Sure. Make sure we stay compliant in 16 states with Proggers? Let’s go. Strategic plans, grants, last-minute chaos? I’m good at learning fast, making things work, and writing the SOP. In a more fun vein, being a mom and a theater kid makes me an asset to any Broadway/Disney karaoke or trivia nights.