Cate Mingoya

As Groundwork USA’s new Director of Capacity Building, Cate works to strengthen the Groundwork network and provide technical assistance and support to brownfield remediation projects across the US.

Originally from Queens, New York, Cate began her career teaching middle school science to students in the Bronx and Brownsville, Brooklyn. She later transitioned to the policy side of working with low-income communities as the Director of Policy and Program Development for the Massachusetts Division of Public Housing. As Cate recalls, “Where I grew up and where I taught middle school in New York City, there were (and still are!) a tremendous number of unused, contaminated parcels of land, but relatively few places for children to play, learn about the environment, or recreate with their families. I’m excited to be part of an organization whose mission is to improve people’s access to, social ownership over, and participation in the spaces around them!”

Cate holds a Bachelors of Arts in Biology from Reed College, a Master of Science Education from the City University of New York, and a Master of City Planning from MIT. She lives with her husband, daughter, and cat in Somerville, Massachusetts, and loves coffee, bike riding, canoe trips, and travel.