Pioneer Award

There may be no more important place in the world than the one we call home. Catherine H. (Katie) Mears '03 has helped rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, giving hundreds of longtime residents a place they can again call home.

While at Grinnell, she majored in history, served as editor of the newspaper, and helped lead several alternative break trips. After graduation, she worked on several political campaigns.

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, she joined the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, where she has helped coordinate the gutting and rebuilding of hundreds of homes across the city. While working grueling 18-hour days to arrange tasks on what one nominator calls "a dizzying logistical chessboard," she has kept the needs of the homeowners at the forefront. She asks volunteers who gut houses to save small but potentially meaningful objects such as vases or photos so the homeowner can look through them. She works closely with the homeowners to be sure their specific needs are met.

Her clear-eyed pragmatism has earned the respect of seasoned disaster professionals, nonprofit managers, and neighborhood leaders. She continues to work closely with Grinnell students through Alternative Break and ReNew Orleans, and many alumni and faculty have returned to work for her for a day, a season, or a year.

For her efforts to help rebuild a city and for her ability to encourage others to do the same, Grinnell is pleased to honor Catherine H. Mears '03.