Cat Goughnour is the Racial Wealth Equity Fellow at Prosperity Now. Cat is part of the Racial Wealth Divide Initiative and lead strategist on Prosperity Now's racial economic and wealth equity portfolio, which builds organizational capacity to design, develop, operationalize, and evaluate human-centered equity projects. After leading the African American Financial Capability Initiative (AAFCI)--a multi-stakeholder community economic development and system change program--she now leverages cross-team collaboration to help grassroots community-based organizations build innovative economic mobility pilot projects for low- and moderate-income, low-wealth clients. Through the Asset Based Organizational Development (ABOD) program, Cat gathers insights and lessons learned to identify emergent promising practices to apply to program design and present in workshops to illustrate how communities of color can leverage strategic partnerships with multi-sector actors for local economic impact.

In addition, Cat owns and operates a certified Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWESB) specializing in human rights, racial equity, and social justice consulting. She is also a certified Community Health Worker, racial justice facilitator, and published researcher. She has been recognized for her Right 2 Root™ methodology to mitigate gentrification, as well as for affordable housing and human rights advocacy. Cat holds a Master of Science in Sociology from London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Political Philosophy from Portland State University.