Katie joined the Sojourners marketing team in 2013 as an advertising sales associate. With a background in retail, Katie enjoys connecting socially conscious Sojourners readers with ethically driven organizations and businesses.
Katie is a Midwest native but grew up in Hagerstown, a small town in western Maryland. She caught the travel bug at an early age and traveled to France, Italy, and Spain with People to People Student Ambassadors at the age of 16. This travel experience inspired her to pursue a degree in international studies at Ithaca College. During her time at Ithaca, Katie traveled to the Dominican Republic, Jordan, and Egypt, where she experienced and witnessed political, social, economic, and gender inequality.
In an effort to incorporate her faith with a quest for social justice, Katie joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corp after graduating college. While in Phoenix, Ariz., Katie worked for CASE (Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy) and developed a refugee organizing program to build awareness and inspire action in local refugee communities to combat workplace inequality and discrimination. Her work with CASE led to a position with the hospitality union UNITE HERE! Local 631, where she served as logistics coordinator for a successful Latino voter registration campaign.
Katie is passionate about the labor movement, refugee and immigrant issues (domestically and abroad), gender equality, and mental health. She is an enthusiastic supporter of Ignatian spirituality and practices the Daily Examen regularly, even though she identifies as Protestant. Katie is a certified Laughter Yoga instructor (ask her about it!), and music, yoga, and good food are a part of her everyday life.
Posts By This Author
Beyond Tithing: What to Do with the Other 90 Percent
Simple living concept, Aleutie / Shutterstock.com
Jesus calls us to consume less and to live simply. To “live simply” in itself varies by person, situation, income, and values. While I still fantasize about becoming a new-age Laura Ingles Wilder, building a log cabin and weaving my own clothes, I have accepted that I need to interact with a consumer culture. Consuming is not a bad thing and is a necessary part of life. However, consuming becomes unhealthy when we find identity in our “stuff,” live beyond our means, or hurt others with our purchasing power.
I learned about alternative giving from a flier in my college dorm bathroom. Ithaca College and the surrounding town are notorious for progressive politics, activists, and a thriving farmers market on Cayuga Lake. Progressive politics were a part of the classroom, and I quickly learned about the often unhealthy connections between corporations, government, and the products we use. I remember feeling overwhelmed, powerless, and confused.