Together Since High School, Katie and Bob Gaffney Now Share a College Connection

High school brought together Katie and Bob Gaffney, and now their chosen universities have created a new mutual connection. 

Both Bob and Katie are originally from Delaware County in eastern Iowa—Katie grew up in Manchester and Bob was from nearby Ryan. They began dating prior to graduating together from West Delaware High School.  

After high school, each attended small, but different, Catholic universities that were close to home. Katie chose Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, studying education, while Bob ended up majoring in accounting at St. Ambrose University in Davenport. 

Years later, these two high school sweethearts were surprised (but excited) to see their college institutions joining together. 

“I think anytime you put two good things together, you get an even better thing,” Katie said. “It’s exciting to hear about the plans of both universities to expand their programming. 

“I am happy to see Mount Mercy University continue to grow and expand its athletic offerings,” she continued. “Adding a football team is an exciting development. Since I was a student-athlete myself, I look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the university’s athletic community.” 

As a member of the Mount Mercy Athletic Hall of Fame since 2015, Katie certainly has insight into athletics at her alma mater. She had a four-year career in women’s cross country and women’s track & field, earning academic all-conference honors three times in both sports. In cross country, she was a three-time NAIA individual national qualifier (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08) and was team MVP in 2007-08. On the track, Katie was an NAIA national qualifier in the 3,000 meters and distance medley relay.  

“I knew I wanted to attend a smaller private school and hoped to have the option to run cross country,” Katie said. “After visiting a variety of small private schools, I felt most comfortable and interested in Mount Mercy. They had a strong education program and I felt valued by the head coach. Ryan Scheckel really showed he cared about my decision and wanted me to be a part of the team.  

“I knew I wanted to major in education,” Katie continued. “Mount Mercy’s education program was very impressive and had so many options for my future career. The professors were friendly and informative. They helped me decide on getting a middle school endorsement and coaching certificate. I liked the small class sizes and being able to meet with my professors whenever needed.” 

Like Katie, Bob was also intent on attending a small, private school, which led him to St. Ambrose. 

“St. Ambrose struck a nice balance of far enough away from home, being the right size school, quality programs, and really attractive campus,” he said. 

Bob began as a history education major before making the switch to accounting. 

“I still wasn’t 100 percent sure what I wanted to do, but I was practical enough to know there was a strong job market for that major,” Bob recalled. “I found the quality and size of classes at St. Ambrose to be appropriate for me.” 

Mount Mercy provided me with so many field placements that I felt prepared to enter the classroom. I had many mentors along the way that helped guide me to get certain endorsements. —Katie Gaffney '08

With educations in hand, Bob and Katie were ready to begin their professional journeys. Married in 2009, Bob’s career led him to public accounting work in Davenport and a finance job in Garner, Iowa, before landing with his current company, Rinderknecht Associates, a Cedar Rapids general contractor, in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer. About a year ago he was appointed President of the company.

“While at Ambrose, I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting and always felt my schooling prepared me for everything I encountered in the ‘real’ world,” he said.  

Katie’s professional path led her to teaching and coaching opportunities with late elementary- and middle-school-aged students in Des Moines, Bettendorf, and Garner. She joined Excelsior Middle School in the Linn-Mar School District in 2018, where she currently teaches seventh grade literacy and coaches middle school cross country. 

“Mount Mercy provided me with so many field placements that I felt prepared to enter the classroom,” Katie said. “I had many mentors along the way that helped guide me to get certain endorsements.” 

Although Bob and Katie took separate paths to higher education, each had a rewarding experience at their small, private, Catholic institutions that has served them well in their professional pursuits. As those two universities move forward with their strategic combination, Bob and Katie said opportunities for students should be greater than ever before. 

“Each institution will be able to expand programming with some things that the other institution does well,” Bob said. “This looks like a move to ensure the longevity of both universities.”  

“I can’t wait to see what benefits this brings to both campuses,” Katie added, “and student bodies.”