Kate is a policy and advocacy strategist who partners with organizations using data to improve outcomes across Texas. While her expertise is in state education policy, she also has years of experience in systems-level policies to better link education-to-workforce transitions so businesses have a reliable pipeline of educated talent.

Previously, Kate led state policy and advocacy efforts for The Commit Partnership for seven years, where she was instrumental in securing reforms in K-12 school finance and community college finance totaling more than $16 billion in total investments, as well as scaling evidence-based education strategies at the state-level. She also co-founded Commit to Students, Commit’s sister organization that seeks to keep data-driven policymakers engaged at the state and local levels.

Key policy wins during her tenure include securing state-funded high-impact tutoring for students who are behind academically and evolving Texas’ public school finance formula to include performance-based pay for teachers and outcomes bonus funding for school systems that graduate students who are ready to enroll, enlist or be employed. She’s a trusted source in both the Texas House and Senate, supporting legislative leaders in identifying and pursuing fiscally conservative, evidence-based investments.

Kate has a background in strategic communications, having worked as a press secretary in the Oklahoma House of Representatives during the historic teacher walkout of 2016. She also has experience as a reporter covering criminal justice and incarceration in Oklahoma, where her stories aired nationally on a regular basis. Her reporting on how court fines and fees grew exponentially over time was cited in arguments in front of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Kate is a graduate of Leadership Women, an experiential leadership program designed for professionals interested in impacting key issues facing Texas, including education, healthcare, the environment, and the economy.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma, where she graduated with honors.