What does it look like to build a technology ecosystem from the ground up in a field most people can’t yet name?
In this episode of B the Way Forward, host Brenda Darden Wilkerson sits down with Kate Waimey Timmerman, CEO of the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), the Midwest’s most powerful quantum information science and engineering consortium uniting universities, national labs, government agencies, and private industry.
Kate brings a rare combination to her role: a decade-plus background in neuroscience, a systems-builder’s mindset, and an unapologetic commitment to making quantum one of the most accessible and inclusive sectors in emerging tech. Brenda and Kate dig into what it takes to lead across a non-traditional multi-institution ecosystem, why the growth mindset doesn’t expire at graduation, how the South Side of Chicago became an unlikely anchor for quantum innovation, and what accountability actually looks like when you’re building something the country has never built before.
This is a conversation about awareness, access, and the courage to build a future that doesn’t just replicate the models of the past.
Connect with Kate on LinkedIn
We Learned About:
- Why “awareness, awareness, awareness” is the foundational operating principle at CQE and in high-stakes scientific environments
- How Kate transitioned from neuroscience to leading one of the country’s premier quantum ecosystems and why that path is the point
- What it really takes to lead across a multi-stakeholder ecosystem spanning universities, startups, national labs, and government
- Why quantum technologies are far more accessible than people assume, and what the Midwest Quantum Workforce Strategy is doing to prove it
- The Duality accelerator, the first quantum-focused startup accelerator in the United States, and how it was built for the globe, not just one institution
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction & Season Theme
1:00 Meet Kate Waimey Timmerman, CEO of Chicago Quantum Exchange
2:00 Staying Aware in Systems Optimized for Speed, Not Reflection
4:00 Leading Across a Multi-Institution Ecosystem
6:30 From Neuroscience to Quantum: What People Misunderstand
8:00 What People Outside the Field Need to Know About Quantum Now
11:00 Career Transitions and Identifying Your Transferable Skills
14:30 Risk, Growth Mindset, and Why Adulthood Is the Best Time to Develop It
17:30 Staying Grounded When You Lead at Scale
20:00 When the Science Is Ready but the System Is Not
22:00 Being First to Market: CQE and the Duality Accelerator
24:30 What Short-Term and Long-Term Success Looks Like for CQE
27:00 What Neuroscience Taught Kate About Leading Complex Systems
30:00 What Real Accountability Looks Like in an Emerging Tech Ecosystem
31:00 Why the South Side of Chicago Matters for Quantum’s Future
32:30 Open Quantum Initiative and the Q Ready Program
35:00 How to Stay Aligned When Your Vision Is This Big
36:30 Closing Thoughts: Building Differently, Not Just Building Forward
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