Kathleen Rader Obituary

Rader
Kathleen "Kae" Barr Rader
October 1, 1954 - September 29, 2017
Kae Rader was a well-known civic leader, nonprofit management professional, loving grandmother, and treasured friend and mentor to many. She had an incredibly strong spirit that helped her survive four previous bouts with cancer. She received continuous care during the last month of her life from loving friends and Pikes Peak Hospice.
Kae was born in Chicago to Harry & Esther Barr, and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Communications. She served on the staff of Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut, including her role as his press secretary during the city's acquisition of the NFL Colts. She was also Executive Director of the Indianapolis Downtown Promotion Council and a Vice President of the Indiana Sports Corporation.
Kae moved to Colorado Springs in 1991 to become Executive Director of USA Table Tennis, later serving in various executive positions at the US Olympic Committee and the El Pomar Foundation. She attended the Olympic Games in Seoul, Barcelona, Lillehammer (Norway), Atlanta, and Sydney. She earned a Masters in Public Administration from UCCS.
Kae founded Rader Consulting in 2007, providing strategic planning services to nonprofit organizations, and was an executive coach with the Center for Creative Leadership. She co-authored the book "Appreciative Leadership", a 2011 Nautilus Silver Award Winner. Kae was appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Owens and re-appointed by Governor Bill Ritter to the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board. She also served under Governor John Hickenlooper as Executive Director of TBD Colorado, a public engagement and policy development initiative. She was a member of the Boards of Directors of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, United Way, Red Cross and World Arena.
Kae was an avid cat-lover, Denver Broncos fan and outdoor athlete, completing the Pikes Peak Ascent 4 times, the Pikes Peak Marathon and several triathlons. She was an active member of the Center for Spiritual Living of Colorado Springs, where a celebration of her life will be held in the near future. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Kenneth, who she will join at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs. Kae is survived by her former husband Phil Rader of Santa Fe NM, stepdaughter Stephanie Iannone and grandchildren Sam and Lily Iannone of Arvada CO, several cousins in the Chicago area, and her cats, Buddy and Sofie.
She requested that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Center for Spiritual Living of Colorado Springs at cslcs.org/donate.