Katie Acuff earned a bachelor's degree in international economics and finance from the Catholic University of America. As a senior in college, she served as a member of the president's staff and was identified for a position in the annual fund office upon graduation. While working full time, she earned her Juris Doctorate in the evening program at CUA's Columbus School of Law. After climbing the ranks in the annual fund office and finishing her law degree, she eventually worked in a major gifts role.

In 2010, Tulane University—then rebuilding its development operation post-Katrina—recruited Acuff to serve as the senior director of development for its undergraduate college. In 2013, she became director of principal gifts and was named an associate vice president shortly before Tulane publicly launched its comprehensive, $1.3B "Only the Audacious: The Campaign for an Ever Bolder Tulane" in 2018. In her role, she oversees the strategic pursuit of principal gifts across the university, prioritizes the development work of the president and other senior university officials, and maintains her own frontline portfolio.