Katy Knight is President and Executive Director of Siegel Family Endowment, a foundation focused on understanding and shaping the impact of technology on society. She has supported Pursuit since its early days as the Coalition for Queens, and having been a member of our Executive Board for several years, she now holds a leadership role as the Governance Chair.
Katy started at Siegel in 2017 as Deputy Executive Director and draws on a diversity of professional experience from her previous roles in education, technology and community-based organizations. Before Siegel, Katy worked on community engagement at financial sciences company Two Sigma. Her earlier career includes several years at Google in various capacities, most notably on the public affairs team. Before that, she held roles in nonprofit development and real estate. Katy has earned recognition in 2022 as a Crain's Notable Black Leader and in 2015 as a 40 Under 40 Rising Star in City & State.
In addition to her Board role at Pursuit, she serves on the Center for an Urban Future, READ Alliance, CSforALL, Pursuit, the Regional Plan Association, and the Brearley Alumnae Board, among other organizations.
In the conversation that follows, Katy talks about the shared mission between Pursuit and the Siegel Family Foundation; the importance of the Pursuit Bond in creating sustainable financial models for workforce development programs; the incredible value of the lived experience of people who have come up against the barriers; and more.
Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got involved in your work at Siegel?
I’ve had a winding path into philanthropy. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I interned at a few mission-driven nonprofits and media organizations. But then I decided to take some time off school to work in real estate - which was an entirely different experience, but a rewarding one. After finishing school, I initially started working at a small nonprofit, but the private sector called me back in the form of an opportunity to work at Google, which set me down a four year path of becoming deeply involved in issues related to tech and society. That experience ultimately led me to Two Sigma, and later Siegel Family Endowment, whose mission is aligned with my personal and professional passions.
Pursuit’s mission is to create pathways to economic opportunity for communities that are historically underrepresented and under-resourced. What led you to support Pursuit work and join our Executive Board?
I have known Jukay and Pursuit since the early days of the organization when the work was centered in Queens, which especially appealed to me having grown up in Ridgewood. As Pursuit has grown and developed, the organization has been tackling some of the same big questions we are trying to answer at Siegel about how to equitably equip people with what they need to thrive in a society driven by innovation. We’ve been especially excited about Pursuit’s work on the Bond, which aligns with our exploration of how to more sustainably finance workforce development programs.
What role do you see Pursuit – in addition to Siegel Family Endowment – playing in helping create long-term, systems changing transformation?
The Pursuit Bond is a really important exploration of how we can potentially fund workforce development in a way that does not rely solely on limited government and philanthropic funding. The long term change that I hope for is to see this work transform the way cities or states look at scaling workforce programs; we could choose as a society to invest in the future of people the same way we invest in building a new school or road, with local bonds to support workforce programs or other forms of learning.
Who or what inspires you and the work you do?
The vision of my younger self and the experience of navigating the education and workforce systems in this country is my driving force. I wake up every day wanting to make it the norm, rather than the exception, for someone like me to be successful and thriving in this world.
As a black woman leading a major philanthropic foundation in a predominantly white industry, what guidance do you have for racial minorities, or black people/women in particular, who are considering careers in social impact and/or technology?
I think I have gotten to where I am by being myself, and I strive to make space for others to do the same in industries where they have been historically excluded. There is incredible value in the lived experience of people who have come up against the barriers we are trying to break down through our work in the social impact space, and we shouldn’t be hesitant about sharing the ways in which we can bring authenticity, intellectual vibrancy, and an important viewpoint to the table in any space. Remind yourself daily that you belong in any room where the changes that will influence the future of society are being decided.
