Kate Eaton

Kate Eaton is the Associate Dean for Student Success and Academic Innovation and a Clinical Professor in the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University. In this role, she leads efforts to enhance student experience, support enrollment growth, and foster academic innovation across the College’s transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary programs. Her work centers on developing adaptive, cohesive curricula that equip students with the tools to address complex global challenges.

Prior to joining the College of Global Futures, Kate served as Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at the W. P. Carey School of Business, where she was also a Clinical Professor of Marketing. There, she led efforts to reimagine graduate curriculum, scale programs, launch new degrees and modalities, and build interdisciplinary pathways in partnership with units across ASU—including Law, Engineering, and Design. Her work focused on aligning teaching, enrollment, and student support strategies to better meet the evolving needs of learners and industry.

Kate has led a number of curricular initiatives, including the design of shared learning experiences across graduate programs and the development of structures to support ongoing assessment and refinement. She is particularly interested in academic environments undergoing change, and has experience building processes and communities that support collaboration, iteration, and clear communication during times of growth or transition.

From 2018 to 2023, Kate served as Teaching Lead in the Department of Marketing at W. P. Carey, where she developed several online courses and redesigned in-person classes using flipped classroom models, active learning strategies, and innovative assessment techniques. Her teaching has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2017 and 2021 Huizingh Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award and the 2020 “Rethinking Business Education” Award for Excellence in Online Teaching. In 2023, she was named one of Poets & Quants’ “40 Best MBA Professors Under 40.”

Kate holds a PhD in Business Administration (Marketing), and undergraduate degrees in Finance and Management with an International Business Certificate, all from the W. P. Carey School of Business. Before returning to academia full-time, she served as Principal Strategist for Obesity Solutions, a joint initiative between ASU and Mayo Clinic, focusing on health messaging, intervention design, and patient experience.

Outside of work, Kate is an avid rockhounder, DIYer, storyteller, Lego enthusiast, and wilderness lover.