Kate Van Name

Kate Van Name has intentionally pursued her business management and consulting career for over 30 years. President and Founder of KVN Partners, a business management consulting firm located in Chestertown, MD, Kate guides and advises start-ups and small businesses as they operationally mature and grow. KVN Partners is a specialized consultancy focused on Integrative Wellness Entrepreneurs – businesses creating innovative products and services that support Physical, Mental, and Social Wellness – and Rural Community Sustainability solutions. Kate is on the Kent County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and volunteers as a mentor to community entrepreneurs, helping the next generation of small business owners with robust business development advisement as well as cultivating local investment vehicles. She was named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council for Maryland’s 1st Congressional District to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Kate has held leadership positions in several growth businesses – COO at Warrior Centric Health, President of The Communicators, COO at Advisors Financial, CFO at Caloris Engineering and Managing Director of FlackVentures. Kate is currently on the Boards of Advisors for MOCingbird and Warrior Centric Health. She has experienced first-hand and successfully navigated through the many critical issues facing small and start-up businesses including tax reform, capital raising, lending constraints, workforce readiness, regulatory restraint, and health care costs. As an executive responsible for both developing strategies and ensuring their success, Kate is accomplished at employing a wide experience and deep knowledge in business development, operations, project management, product development, financial management, vendor and contract management, and team building. To help achieve business objectives, she brings understanding of how to align human capital, business processes, and technology and develops the systems, processes and people to thrive in competitive industries.

Kate earned a B.A. in English from Washington College in Chestertown, MD, and a M.A. in Business Management with a concentration in Team and Organizational Design from Antioch University in Yellow Springs, OH. She is also a certified facilitator of the Team Spirit and Noble Purpose programs developed by the Expanded Learning Institute. Kate is a member of the Rural Maryland Council, Rural Maryland Foundation, and Rural America Chamber of Commerce and served on the Board of Directors for the Historical Society of Kent County.