12 Boardroom Icebreakers

About Katie Appold, MPA

Katie Appold is a nonprofit and association leader with more than 20 years of experience strengthening governance, strategy, and impact across the sector. As founder and principal consultant of Nonprofit Nav, she helps mission-driven organizations build effective boards, clarify strategic direction, and achieve measurable results. Her career spans human services, foundations, and professional associations, where she has led organizations through transformative growth and governance improvement. In her first Executive Director role, she increased organizational revenue by 300% and secured the top national grant for affordable housing from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis. She later helped launch Do More Good, a nonprofit educational platform that merged with Nonprofit Hub to become one of North America’s largest free resources for nonprofit professionals. Katie’s governance work centers on helping boards and executives align vision with accountability through practical frameworks, strong policies, and healthy board–staff dynamics. She has guided national and community-based organizations through bylaw reform, board development, strategic planning, and leadership transitions. In addition to her consulting work, Katie serves as an adjunct professor of nonprofit leadership at Cornerstone University and has served on several national and regional boards of directors. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Leadership.