Dr. Kathleen Annette is a member of the Program Committees for Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation, both of which operate under the umbrella of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. The Program Committees have responsibility for overseeing program strategy and approving grants by MACP’s two foundations.
Kathy served as president and CEO of Blandin Foundation for 9 years, retiring in 2020. She grew up on the Red Lake Indian Reservation and is enrolled with White Earth Band of Ojibwe. A graduate of University of Minnesota Duluth, Kathy received both her medical and undergraduate degrees. She is the first woman from her White Earth tribe to become a physician.
Acting as deputy director of field operations of Indian Health Service, based in Bemidji, Kathy had responsibility for supervision and leadership of Area Directors across the United States, including 48 hospitals, 238 health clinics serving 1.9 million American Indian patients, and 15,000 federal employees. She retired from federal service after 26 distinguished years.
Kathy’s many honors include the national American Indian Physician of the Year award, Quality of Place Award issued by Northwest Minnesota Foundation, and the Jake White Crow National Award, presented by the National Indian Health Board—the first federal employee at the time to be so recognized. She was inducted into the Northwest Minnesota Women’s Hall of Fame at Bemidji State University in 2006 and into the Academy of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 2005 (the first woman so honored). Kathy has served as MACP Program Advisor since 2020. And in 2022, Kathy was honored with an honorary Doctorate of Law by the University of Minnesota.
One of the major events of her career was serving as the federal health leadership coordinator and working with the Red Lake tribe in the response to the Red Lake shootings in 2005. Kathy assisted the community in the aftermath of this tragedy both immediately and long-term. For her service, the Red Lake Nation bestowed honorary membership of the tribe.
