Staff

Janet Harris has served as executive director/CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute since 2022 and has been with the Institute since 2016, first as director of programs, followed by a promotion to chief programs and marketing officer in 2018, followed by a two-year term as chief strategy officer.

Harris’ achievements at the Institute include development of strong, collaborative teams, building and executing convening services aligned with mission, and envisioning creative marketing and technology strategies to tell the story of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller and the Institute’s impact. Specific programmatic achievements include building staff capacity in professional meeting design, facilitating dialogue and deliberation, and creating educational programs that draw on Winthrop Rockefeller’s legacy, including the Institute’s Walks with the Governor workshop. Harris speaks to groups frequently on the history and legacy of Gov. Rockefeller and is trained in facilitation and dialogue.

Before joining the Institute, Harris spent 20 years as a public administration professional in Arkansas holding several executive leadership roles in state government.

Harris holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a Bachelor of Science in public administration from the University of Central Arkansas. She was named the Distinguished Alumnus for the UCA Department of Political Science in 2016 and is an alumna of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Arkansas, Class XI. She is currently pursuing an Executive Certificate in nonprofit leadership from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Shawn Cathey serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, providing leadership for all financial matters.

Prior to joining the Institute, Cathey held the position of Senior Director of Finance at Winrock International for 21 years. He was responsible for the organization’s finance and accounting functions at Winrock’s headquarters and regional finance offices, with focuses on adding new and enhanced systems processes to Winrock projects, enhanced project reporting, invoicing and project finance staff development. Cathey is a certified public accountant. Prior to joining Winrock, he held various accounting and management positions in rural healthcare.

Cathey holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas Tech University.