Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I graduated with an International Bacclaureate Diploma from Tigard High School. Following high school, I moved to Denver, Colorado in 2012 to attend the University of Denver. I received my bachelor's degree in Chemistry with minors in Leadership Studies, Math, and Psychology in March 2016. While at the University, I was involved with the Pioneer Leadership Program, Delta Delta Delta sorority, and YoungLife, as well as other clubs on campus.

The University of Denver gave me the opportunity to study abroad in Vina del Mar, Chile. After graduating, I backpacked for three months through Eastern and Northern Europe. Both of these experiences allowed me to see other cultures and have carried through to my work experience here in the United States. 

Upon returning to the United States, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona to become an AmeriCorps VISTA. The AmeriCorps VISTA program is a one year immersion program that allows participants to experience living in poverty while serving communities in poverty. I joined this program after being involved with helping individuals experiencing homelessness for 9 years and saw it as a unique opportunity to execute on that passion before launching my career full time. I worked in the Phoenix Mayor's Office learning a new aspect of confronting the issue of homelessness through the policies and opportunities of working for the City of Phoenix. 

Little did I know how much passion really should define your work and decided to continuing working in the field full time. After my time as an AmeriCorps, I have served in multiple roles throughout the nonprofit and municipal government sectors as well as received my Master's Degree from Arizona State University in Program Evaluation in Data Analytics in August 2020. 

Today, I work as a Human Services Planner for the Maricopa Regional Continuum of Care at Maricopa Association of Governments and am the CEO and co-founder of Street Sense Solutions, an informational hub educating individuals about the complexities, daily struggles, and systemic barriers of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the metro Phoenix area, and how to get involved in proven, sustainable solutions. 

Katie's Resume