Kate Zappitelli, CPCC, ACC
Chair, Alignment Institute® / HOW Activator
Follow Kate on LinkedIn
Email Kate.Zappitelli @ karrikinsgroup.com
Strong, capable leaders often agree on the goal yet struggle to move forward together. Kate Zappitelli helps leadership teams turn agreement into alignment so strategy becomes action.
As Chair of the Alignment Institute® and a Principal and HOW Activator at Karrikins Group, she partners with executives and leadership teams around the world to build alignment grounded in clarity, connection, commitment, and courage.
Kate helps leadership teams turn complex strategy into shared understanding and aligned action. She is known for surfacing the conversations leaders avoid and translating strategy into practical ways of working. As a trusted advisor, she helps executive teams clarify priorities, navigate tradeoffs, and strengthen how they work together to improve performance.
Industry Conversations Featuring Kate
Strongbridge Conversations Podcast: Unlocking Leadership Alignment with Kate Zappitelli and Patrice Brown
Kate Zappitelli, Principal and HOW Activator at Karrikins Group, joins host Jennifer Stile on the Growth Shift Podcast to explore why aligning leadership behaviors is just as critical as strategy and how most organizations are missing this piece.
Growth Shift Podcast: Aligning Leadership Behaviors and Communication with Kate Zappitelli
Kate Zappitelli, Principal and HOW Activator at Karrikins Group, joins host Jennifer Stile on the Growth Shift Podcast to explore why aligning leadership behaviors is just as critical as strategy and how most organizations are missing this piece.
Let’s PIVOTT Podcast: Building Leadership Teams Through Growth, Not Fixing featuring Kate Zappatelli
Kate Zappitelli, Principal and HOW Activator at Karrikins Group, joins the Let’s PIVOTT Podcast to share how great leaders are built through growth and why human-to-human conversation still matters most in an AI-driven world.
“A leader’s most powerful ally is their own example. Leaders don’t just talk about doing something, they do it.”
– John Wooden
Background and Experience
Kate’s commitment to growth and leadership development is recognized internally and externally. In 2019, she received the Karrikins Group Level Up Award in recognition of her dedication to her own development and to helping others thrive. In 2024, she was named a finalist in the Stevie® Awards for Female Employee of the Year.
Through her work with the Alignment Institute®, Kate helps leaders build the skills and shared language needed to sustain alignment long after a workshop or offsite ends. She believes alignment requires the courage to say what others are thinking but not yet saying and the discipline to translate strategy into everyday leadership behavior.
Beyond her corporate and coaching work, Kate has spent more than 20 years supporting mission-driven organizations and community initiatives, including using theater-based experiences to help people engage in difficult, often avoided conversations. She previously led the University of Colorado Anschutz Inclusivity Alliance, which received the Rosa Parks Diversity Award during her tenure, and served as Board Co-Chair for Envision:You, a statewide nonprofit focused on improving behavioral health outcomes for LGBTQ+ Coloradans.
Kate is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through the Co-Active Training Institute and an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation. She is also a StrengthsFinder facilitator and Reiki practitioner and holds a master’s degree from New York University. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, sister, two daughters, cat, and Labradoodle, and brings a steady, thoughtful presence to both her work and home life.
Professional Experience
- CPCC Certified Professional Co-Active Coach
- ACC Associate Certified Coach
- Social Justice Actor/Facilitator for Affinity Arts Consulting
- Special Projects Senior Coordinator, Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
- Chief of Staff, Office of the Provost at New York University
Educational Background
- MA from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University
- BA in Communication from University of Colorado – Boulder