Katie grew up in San Diego, CA where she experienced the unique gifts and challenges of living in a border city. She attended Yale University, where she graduated with distinction in her major, Ethnicity, Race and Migration. Upon graduating, she returned to California where she served for two years as the Northern California Organizing Director for FWD.us, leading engagement with Members of Congress, building a supporter base, and working with technology companies and the press to highlight the need for immigration reform. She now lives and works in D.C. as the Grassroots Communications Manager for FWD.us, where she co-runs FWD.us’ national media surrogate program, which has trained more than 200 individuals directly impacted by immigration over the last year on tactics for engaging with the press. She also manages and InformedImmigrant.com, an online immigration resource hub for the undocumented community.

Katie’s grandparents migrated to the U.S. from Mexico and her family worked as seasonal agricultural laborers before settling in Calexico, a small border town. Her grandparents came at a very different time in U.S. immigration policy, and her family was able to benefit from pathways that are now much less available. She works on immigration policy to pay this opportunity forward to immigrant families present and future.