In Memoriam

Kathleen Mary Harte Wallman

Kathy Wallman, a prominent lawyer and inspired teacher, entrepreneur and regulator, as well as a writer, musician, artist and gardener, died peacefully Sunday, July 14, 2024, surrounded by loved ones, at her home in Great Falls, Virginia from appendiceal cancer. She was 66.

Most recently, Kathy was the co-founder of CANCollaborate, a 501(c)(3) organization devoted to accelerating treatments and cures for rare cancers. She was also the co-founder and a director of Folio Financial, Inc., a financial technology and securities brokerage firm acquired in 2020 by Goldman Sachs. Kathy founded and ran a strategic consulting firm, specializing in technology, media and telecommunications, and authored numerous scholarly publications on digital commerce and telecommunications policy. Kathy served generously on numerous boards of directors for both public and private companies and foundations.

She loved teaching and learning from others. She was Visiting Research Professor and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences where her mentoring and love of new ideas continues to motivate many.

She dedicated energy to government service. In the Clinton White House, Kathy was Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Chief of Staff and Counselor to the National Economic Council after serving as Deputy Counsel to the President in the Office of White House Counsel. Previously, Kathy was Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau and Deputy Chief of the Cable Services Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission and was Chair of the Public Safety National Coordination Committee.

That public service was preceded by private practice at the law firm Arnold & Porter where she was associate and then partner. She clerked for both Judges Silberman and Tamm of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Newman for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, after earning her JD, magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law School, her M.S. from the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and her B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the Catholic University of America.

Her extraordinary promise was clear from the start. She graduated from Westford Academy (Massachusetts) as valedictorian and received the four-year full Boston Archdiocese Scholarship. She was proud of being active in the high school concert, jazz and marching bands.

Kathy loved to create and nurture. She wrote a novel, The Gossip Boats, had numerous art projects, and became a Master Gardener growing a very large garden’s worth of produce to share with others. She played guitar, keyboard and cello beautifully and composed her own music. Her enthusiasm for life and her respect for her parents and heritage led her to learn Gaelic and earn dual Irish/US citizenship.

She was a spectacular chef, a podcaster with two separate podcast series, a certified personal trainer, a distance runner, an avid hiker and a weightlifter.

While her accomplishments were epic, it was her open heart, fearless spirit, empathy for others, and inquisitive, creative mind that truly defined her. She always could provide a caring shoulder and act as a trusted counselor. She recognized the dignity and worth of every individual and brought out the best in all those who were fortunate enough to know her. She lived her life fully, with humor and empathy and gratitude — and shared her brilliant spark, her grace, and her playful spunk with those around her. Her embrace continues to provide comfort, even as she is sorely and profoundly missed.

She was born Kathleen Mary Harte in 1957 in Waltham, Massachusetts. She is pre-deceased by her parents Francis and Mary, and her sister, Mary. She is survived by Steven, her husband of 39 years who met her over 45 years ago and who loves her so dearly; and, her sister, Margaret (John), as well as her God-daughter and great niece Eva, her sisters-in law, Ellen (Bernard), and Sandra (Herbert), her niece, Elizabeth (Benjamin), and nephews Josh (Maria), Adam (Kendra) and Matthew, and great nephew Asher, as well as numerous loved and loving friends, and Teddy, her beloved black Lab.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family requests that memorial contributions be made here to CANCollaborate, the non-profit organization founded by Kathy and Steve to facilitate cancer research.