2026 Emerging Leader Award: Kate McAleer FR’04 CN’05

Leading with Purpose

Kate McAleer FR'04 CN'05 has built a career proving that business can be both successful and deeply values-driven. As founder and CEO of Bixby Chocolate, Maine's first bean-to-bar chocolate company, she has channeled her passion for craft chocolate into an award-winning business recognized nationally for its quality, innovation, and commitment to ethical sourcing.

Since founding Bixby Chocolate in 2011, Kate has transformed the company from a startup into an award-winning manufacturer and community anchor on Rockland's historic waterfront. From being named Maine Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 to earning a place on Inc. Magazine's 2026 Female Founders 500, she has continually raised the bar through innovation, entrepreneurial leadership, and an unwavering commitment to ethically sourced, bean-to-bar chocolate. Under her leadership, Bixby has earned multiple sofi™ Awards (Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation Awards, widely regarded as the “Oscars” of the specialty food industry). Kate’s achievements also include recognition as a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumna, as well as her role as a leading voice for small business and ethical sourcing.

Having studied at both SYA France and SYA China, Kate credits her international experiences with shaping the way she approaches business. She has built direct, transparent relationships with cacao farmers in Haiti, Guatemala, Belize, and the Dominican Republic, emphasizing partnership, sustainability, and respect throughout the supply chain. Her commitment to ethical sourcing demonstrates how global understanding can be transformed into meaningful action.

Kate's leadership extends beyond Bixby. She advocates for small businesses on Capitol Hill, serves as president of the Maine Grocers & Food Producers Association, and champions entrepreneurship, environmental stewardship, and responsible commerce. By combining innovation with integrity and global citizenship, Kate exemplifies the spirit of the Emerging Leader Award and the enduring impact of an SYA education.

Beyond the Bio with Kate

One way SYA helped shape Bixby?
"SYA immersed me in different cultures, particularly French and Chinese, and exposed me to new cuisines that vastly broadened my palate and appreciation for interesting food and flavors. It also sparked a lifelong desire to travel and experience the world. Those experiences continue to influence me today. As we develop new products at Bixby, I often draw on the curiosity and openness to new flavors and ideas that began during my time with SYA. In many ways, SYA gave me an early foundation for the creativity, exploration, and innovation that have become central to Bixby."

Best business lesson you’ve learned?
"Perseverance. Building a business means learning how to navigate challenges, setbacks, and circumstances completely outside your control — and continuing to move forward. Bixby survived COVID, when we had to shut down our retail operation, lay off our entire staff, and slowly find buyers for a warehouse full of finished products after distributors and wholesalers canceled orders virtually overnight. More recently, we have faced an unprecedented cocoa crisis, with cacao bean prices building rising dramatically as global supply fell far short of demand. Tariffs on cacao beans added yet another layer of pressure. Each challenge has reinforced the same lesson: you have to be nimble, creative, and persistent. You may not be able to control the challenges that come your way, but you can control how you respond to them."

Business with purpose means …  
"For me, a business with purpose starts with having a clear mission and a strong set of values that guide how you operate. At Bixby, our purpose is to create delicious, thoughtfully made chocolates and confections while continually looking for ways to innovate and offer better choices to our customers. Just as importantly, we value the people behind our products. Our employees make Bixby’s success possible every day, and creating a workplace where they are valued and respected is fundamental to who we are. We also believe strongly in staying connected to our local community. Bixby is deeply rooted in Maine, and we want our success to contribute to the strength and vitality of the community around us. To me, a successful business should create value not only for its customers and owners, but also for its employees and its community."

Which Bixby chocolate would you send your host families … and why?
"I would send them a sampler of our award-winning chocolates—a collection that represents some of Bixby’s proudest moments. These are products that tell the story of what we have built and how far we have come. I would be incredibly proud to share them with my former host families, especially because the experiences I had abroad helped shape the curiosity and appreciation for food and culture that ultimately became part of Bixby. I consider these chocolates to be among the finest being made in the United States, and sharing them would feel like bringing a little piece of my journey full circle."