Katie’s career began in public libraries in 2005. As the only Spanish-speaking staff member in an urban library branch serving a growing Spanish-speaking community, her eyes were quickly opened to the many unmet information needs of families and the increasing need for bilingual/bicultural staff in libraries, schools, and other organizations serving children and families. Her own experiences being unable to communicate and read local languages while working and traveling in Europe and Asia made her especially sensitive to these challenges. Katie’s work as a Children’s Librarian became increasingly focused on developing creative partnerships at a community level that engage Spanish-speaking families in creative and fun ways, while simultaneously presenting solutions to real-life challenges. As her work became recognized nationally, she made the decision to leave front-lines work in order to help more libraries and other organizations develop strategies for engaging diverse families, particularly in areas of the country where demographics are changing rapidly, but bilingual/bicultural staff are still lacking. She does this in a variety of ways, including through online and in-person training, and consulting on individual projects.
Simultaneously, Katie’s life was changed by mindfulness and yoga beginning in 2004. A trauma survivor herself, Katie was amazed at what she learned about herself and her patterns of behavior as she developed a mindfulness practice. The work was not always pleasant or easy, but over time, she noticed she was developing more space in her day-to-day life to respond calmly and thoughtfully to life’s challenges, rather than being stuck in outdated, survival-driven reactivity. This brought greater acceptance, curiosity, and awareness into all aspects of her life, including her professional work. She began teaching children’s yoga in 2013, became a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) in 2015, and published Stories, Songs, and Stretches! Creating Playful Storytimes with Yoga and Movement in 2017. In 2016, she had the opportunity to work with an unusually gifted cadre of women to develop the Be Project, a trauma-informed mindful education curriculum currently being implemented in rural Kentucky schools. In 2018, she launched Stories, Songs, and Stretches!® This early learning startup offers certification and guidance to professionals from a wide variety of fields and experience levels in the intentional use of mindful movement to enhance preschool early learning through embodied play.
Katie is the coauthor, along with Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo, of Once Upon a Cuento: Bilingual Storytimes in English and Spanish, which was published by ALA Editions in early 2016. She served as a member of the 2013 Pura Belpré book award committee and was an appointee to the planning task force for the 20th Anniversary of the Pura Belpré Award. She is an active, lifetime member of Reforma – The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. Katie serves on the national Children and Young Adult Services Committee of Reforma and was the 2012-13 President of the Reforma Southeast chapter. She is also an active member of the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC), and a current member of the Early Childhood Programs and Services task force. Katie graduated summa cum laude from Capital University (OH) in 2004, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree. She received her Master in Library and Information Science degree from Kent State University in 2009. She has been a certified Specialty Trainer in Kentucky for Early Childcare Education professionals since 2012.