Katherine (Katie) Milligan brings the power of public policy to building entrepreneurial communities. Born and raised in the Heartland, she currently serves as the Director for Entrepreneurship, Human Capital & Workforce Development for Heartland Forward.

Katie previously served as the Chief of Staff for Start Co., a venture development organization based in Memphis, TN and as the Director of Small Business and Entrepreneurship for the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), a federal agency that works to improve regional economic opportunity in the eight-state Delta region. While at the DRA, Katie launched the Delta Entrepreneurship Network, a competitive fellowship program to identify entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship support organizations in the Delta.

Katie has served as a US delegate at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress and is currently serving as the Board Chair for the Clinton School of Public Service Alumni Board. Katie has a B.A. in political science from the University of Mississippi and a M.P.S. from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

Through her robust knowledge of public policy, Katie has been selected as the first cohort of 100 emerging changemakers selected to participate in the Obama Foundation’s inaugural Leaders USA program. Milligan is ready to keep on building her skills and learn how she can expand her impact across public, private and nonprofit sectors.