Cathy Light

Cathy Light
Secretary of the Corporation and Advisor to the President

Cathy Light is the secretary of the corporation and advisor to the president. Prior to this appointment, she recently served as the chief of staff and secretary of the corporation, and has also served in other key administrative leadership roles within the Office of the President at Carnegie Mellon since 2007, serving three presidents.

As secretary of the corporation, Light is a member of the executive leadership team and an officer of the Board where she leads the strategic and governance matters of the Board of Trustees, with the primary responsibility of facilitating all matters relating to governance of the university as carried out by the board. As advisor to the president, she oversees all presidential advisory boards, and works on special projects and committees.

Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, Light held a variety of leadership management positions with the Institute for Shipboard Education, Semester at Sea study abroad organization. Her responsibilities included managing global operations, human resources, academic field programs, budgeting and risk management.

Light holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Carlow University and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Robert Morris University. Light also completed Carnegie Mellon's inaugural Leadership Academy in 2009.