Kate Eltrich

Kate Eltrich draws on over 20 years of experience in the legislative and executive branches to assist clients on a range of policy and business development matters, with an emphasis on helping clients anticipate legislative and regulatory actions and execute strategies to succeed in a restrained budget environment. Kate’s expertise has guided clients to plan for the current budget caps and sequestration, and to successfully advocate against proposed spending cuts. Recently, Kate has used her experience overseeing the State Department’s educational and cultural exchange programs to lead a coalition in support of valuable public diplomacy programs. Americans for Cultural Exchange was a finalist for the PIEoneer of the Year Award, for innovations in the field of international education.

Kate previously was a political appointee in the Obama Administration, serving as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, and a senior advisor to OMB Directors Peter Orszag and Jack Lew. In this role, Kate was responsible for guiding the President's budget request through Congress, developing the Administration's position on proposed legislation, and advising White House staff on budget and appropriations policy. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Kate spent eight years as a senior staff member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, developing budgetary and policy recommendations for the State Department budget on the Commerce, Justice, and State Subcommittee for Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) and continuing that work on the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). In that capacity Kate traveled extensively throughout the world, interacting with foreign and U.S. government officials, to evaluate economic and security assistance programs, as well as management of the State Department’s personnel resources and real property. Kate maintains a significant network of career professional staff from the start of her career at OMB during the Clinton Administration. She started KAE Strategic, LLC in 2018 to further her client’s interests. She serves as the Treasurer of the Hollings Center for International Dialogue. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Kate is a graduate of Mills College in Oakland, California.