With compassion, wit and charm, Cathy Hackney, ’74, Ph.D., touched countless lives as a professor, administrator and principal.
Cathy passed away in December 2024 from pancreatic cancer. She graduated from Kent State with an elementary education degree and went on to receive a master’s degree from Cleveland State University and a doctoral degree from Georgia State University.
An exceptional leader who was deeply dedicated to her students, Cathy was a professor of Leadership Studies and associate dean of Administrative Affairs and Graduate Education at Kent State. She loved the university and recognized the impactful work of the College of Education Health and Human Services. It was one of the main reasons she was a philanthropic supporter of Kent State, starting the Catherine Eggleston and James Robert Hackney Rising Scholars fund. She also supported the Women’s Center and Child Development Center at Kent State.
She was not only an exceptional educational leader but she also enjoyed giving back professionally, sharing her time, talent and resources with others. She was secretary of Kent State’s Foundation Board of Directors until 2023, a member of Kent State's Distance Education Advisory Committee, the Women's Center Advisory Board and Graduate Studies Academic Advisory Council.
She also served on the executive board of the American Council on Education and the American Education Research Association Special Interest Group. Having worked with women leaders in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, she used this knowledge to become the author and editor of “Leading from a Feminist Soul.”
Cathy resided in Naples, Florida, and made the most of her time there giving back to the community. She was the president of the Greater Naples AAUW Charitable Foundation, Inc, an affiliate of the American Association of University Women. She also was part of several committees of the Greater Naples Branch. She was 1st Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Collier County and a key member of the Reproductive Health; Education; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees.
Between her career and giving back, Cathy enjoyed spending time with her husband, Jim Hackney, ’73, ’84, family and friends, driving her red convertible, decorating, reading, politics, gardening, singing, opera and playing with her beloved cat Callie and dog Lucy.