For more than three decades, Professor Kathryn Winsted, PhD, has helped shape what it means to learn by doing at Pace University. At the Lubin School of Business, her work centers on one idea: meaningful education happens when students apply their knowledge in real, tangible ways. In recognition of her lasting impact across teaching, service, and scholarship, she has received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
Long before experiential learning became widely emphasized in business education, Professor Winsted was already integrating it into her classrooms. Her courses mirror the realities students will face in their careers, challenging them to collaborate, analyze data, and make decisions in fast-paced, team-based environments. In her digital marketing classes, students partner with small businesses to develop strategic recommendations, where they gain client-facing experience and build skills in search engine optimization, digital advertising, and emerging technologies.
Under Dr. Winsted’s guidance, students are not just learning about entrepreneurship. They are living it.
That same philosophy extends beyond the classroom through her leadership of the Center for Student Enterprise. The initiative began with a conversation between Dr. Winsted and two first-year students and has grown into a network of student-run businesses that evolve year after year. From campus staples like Pace Perk and Pace Mart to newer ventures like Pace Cleans, these businesses give students the opportunity to operate and scale real organizations while still in school. Under Dr. Winsted’s guidance, students are not just learning about entrepreneurship. They are living it.
Her ability to create these opportunities is rooted in her professional experience. Before joining Pace, she founded and managed multiple businesses, worked in government roles, including at the White House, and led a consulting practice serving more than 100 clients. These experiences shape her teaching and allow her to connect theory to practice while offering students a clear and honest view of the professional world.
Believe in your ability, take initiative, and trust that effort leads to opportunity.
Throughout her career, she has modeled the resilience she encourages in her students. From balancing the demands of raising a family while completing her PhD to standing firm in moments that tested her professional integrity, Dr. Winsted has demonstrated a deep commitment to personal and professional growth. Her message to students remains consistent: believe in your ability, take initiative, and trust that effort leads to opportunity.
The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes more than a career. It reflects a legacy of impact across the Pace Community. Through her teaching, mentorship, and leadership, Professor Winsted has created an environment where students are empowered to take risks, build confidence, and step into their futures with purpose.
For more than 30 years, Professor Kathy Winsted has shaped the Lubin experience through hands-on learning, entrepreneurship, and mentorship. Her work empowers students to build real-world skills, confidence, and careers in an evolving business landscape.
A seasoned finance executive turned educator, Professor Mathew brings real-world insight, rigorous mentorship, and hands-on learning to the Lubin School of Business—helping students turn complexity into confident decision-making.
Named one of the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors in the nation, Jessica Magaldi, JD, connects law to what students care about by building courses (and relationships) rooted in meaning, relevance, and real-life learning.