Cathy Foster is a senior government relations executive with more than 30 years of experience in public policy, regulatory affairs, and strategic communications. She currently serves as Vice President of Global Government Relations and Public Policy at eBay, where she leads an international team advocating on behalf of small businesses and entrepreneurs that rely on eBay’s marketplace. In this role, she engages with governments, regulators, and antitrust authorities across the United States and around the world.
Prior to joining eBay, Cathy spent over two decades at Apple Inc., where she created and built the company’s first global Government Relations organization under Steve Jobs’ leadership. She led Apple’s worldwide public policy and regulatory strategy, working extensively with international, federal, state, and local governments during a period of significant growth and transformation for the company.
Earlier in her career, Cathy held government relations roles at Levi Strauss & Co. and served as the first head of Global Government Relations at National Semiconductor Corporation, where she oversaw regulatory, legislative, and public policy initiatives as one of the first government relations professionals in Silicon Valley.
Cathy began her career in public service, serving in the White House from 1989 to 1992 as Associate Director in the Political Office. In that role, she was responsible for developing and implementing President George H.W. Bush’s political and legislative agenda across ten western states. Following her graduation from UCLA, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked on President Bush’s campaign.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and minor in Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). While at UCLA, she participated in student government and the UC-DC internship program, working for a Member of Congress—an experience that sparked her lifelong interest in public service and government.
Cathy serves on the Board of Directors for Teen Success, a nonprofit supporting young women and mothers, and the eBay Foundation. She is passionate about collaborating with governments to address public policy challenges affecting citizens and small businesses, and she is an active mentor to young women.
She is married to Andy Foster, whom she met while working at the White House, and they have four daughters.