‘People of The Pearl’ meets Kate Burgess
As the district programming and ecosystem development manager at The Pearl, Kate Burgess could spend any given day as an event designer, partnership builder, brand ambassador, community liaison and a district tour guide — all before lunch.
“The fun part about my role is that no day ever looks the same for me, so, I get to wear any and every hat that will help us to grow connections at The Pearl,” she says.
Burgess’ work creates opportunities to highlight the natural intersections between The Pearl’s many academic and industry partners, and executive groups who want to amplify one another by existing in the same collaborative space. Burgess and her leaders refer to these instances as “serendipitous collisions,” where the bright minds of separate organizations could run into each other at an event hosted at The Pearl and discover connections within their work.
She regularly spots these unifying moments cozied up by the fireplace in one of her favorite spots at The Pearl, The Assembly Coffee Bar. From watching spirited interactions between medical students at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and IRCAD North America course attendees, to Advocate Health executives grabbing coffee with medical technology industry leaders, it fills Burgess’ cup to see the ecosystem evolving through the connections she helps cultivate.
“Our tenants are all eager to learn about the great ideas of their neighbors to collaborate and spark new innovation,” Burgess says. “I get to curate experiences around The Pearl that maximize these interactions.”
A native North Carolinian, Burgess completed her undergraduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she became a walk-on student-athlete on the NCAA Division 1 varsity women’s rowing team. She moved to Charlotte in 2023 and earned her Master of Health Administration degree from UNC-Charlotte.
While in school full-time, earning her MHA degree, Burgess worked in Patient Access in the emergency department at Atrium Health University City and interned on the Innovation and New Ventures team.
It all helped to prepare Burgess for her role at The Pearl, particularly the walk-on mentality that she developed early in her college experience.
“The walk-on mentality just means that we’re building and learning as we go,” she says. “I’ve taken that mindset with me into my role at The Pearl, given that we are creating an environment that benefit all those who are a part of it.”
Burgess takes personal pride in The Pearl because she watched it grow alongside her own early career with Advocate Health. As the innovation district has expanded, Burgess has been able to build her own foundation and thrive with it.
While her role entails inviting new tenants and collaborators into The Pearl, Burgess is also profoundly connected to the historical significance outside the building. Another favorite spot of hers is at the bottom of the tiered, outdoor plaza, known as “Jacob’s Ladder” – an architectural homage to the historical Brooklyn community that once existed on the land where The Pearl is located.
“There is one specific pillar within our Purposeful Walk, the district’s permanent storytelling installation about the historical Brooklyn community in Charlotte, that explains how some of The Pearl’s architectural designs honor the legacy of the region’s past, while building for the future,” Burgess says.
Burgess was drawn to The Pearl because of its boundless potential as an intentional, people-centered and evolving ecosystem. To cultivate that energy and growth, Burgess highlights the importance of attracting the right people into the physical space.
“While our tenant list is still growing, all teams at The Pearl are excited to boost each other up,” Burgess says. “They are eager to be a part of a place that is actively learning in real time, as it grows, and it is just getting started.”
