New Chaffey Professor Kate Capossela Brings Experience from Boardrooms to Classrooms
Kate Capossela has served as an executive recruiter, Fortune 100 leader and marketer during her career. She has advocated for youth education, social change and is even a classically-trained singer who has performed at Carnegie Hall.
But she considers the classroom her home, and students are one of her favorite communities to serve.
“In coming here to Chaffey, I am coming home to the guiding values that shaped my childhood and worldview,” she said. “We are not meant to explore our goals and talents alone; community is a necessity. Students need caring guides who will speak truth, encourage critical thinking, and facilitate collaboration.”
Capossela is one of 15 new professors joining Chaffey College’s faculty for fall. She will be teaching introduction to business in person and online, small business ownership and management and introduction to management.
An Upland High School graduate, Capossela gained leadership inspiration from her father, who served as her neighborhood’s unofficial career counselor for family, neighbors, friends, small business owners, veterans and immigrants, among others.
A graduate of Stanford University and the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, Capossela started her career in talent development, training and marketing as a university fundraiser at Stanford and Georgetown University. She raised millions of dollars in corporate and foundation partnerships for The Asia Foundation, the largest international development firm on the West Coast.
She led 10 regional leadership teams as regional executive officer for national social enterprise Playworks, and served as marketing director for Johnson & Johnson. As a performer with The Walt Disney Company, she sang at venues including the Kennedy Center, for the U.S. Senate and more. Music is something she often incorporates in her classes.
“I have been known to bring an instrument in here or there. And if you’re wearing a band shirt, I’ll ask your favorite song – especially if it’s Led Zeppelin,” she said.
In 2019, Capossela started her teaching career at the University of La Verne as a lecturer in management. She now teaches at both La Verne and Cal Poly Pomona.
She brings her diverse leadership background to the classroom to help her students become the next generation of leaders.
Students who enroll in her classes at Chaffey will gain knowledge through role playing real-world scenarios and projects, demystifying networking as well as learning about Capossela’s experiences in Silicon Valley startups. She also prepares them for job interviews and teaches the power of nonverbal communication.
“We discuss it extensively in every single class I teach, and as we prep for each presentation, exam or club event. Plus, I constantly challenge my students to apply it to daily interactions, from meeting a new friend on campus to excelling in your stats quiz.”
