Kate

Kate is a social justice systems nerd who believes deeply that movements for justice are fundamentally shaped by the structures, systems, and power relationships that are built into our organizations. Kate is passionate about developing and nurturing human-centered, justice-focused organizational policies and processes and is delighted to put her experience to work as AORTA’s Humane Resources Coordinator.

Prior to joining AORTA, Kate spent 15 years working in management, finance/fundraising, and operations roles at justice-focused nonprofits in Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, and Richmond, VA. She honed creative and collaborative approaches to organizational change and leadership as one half of a jobshare Executive Director team at PFund Foundation in Minneapolis; managed a rapidly-growing organizational team and culture at the Mikva Challenge in Chicago; and supported a statewide team of anti-oppression trainers and coaches as the Director of Administration and Finance at the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.

Outside of her paid work, Kate’s activist work has centered around supporting the integrity and resilience of organizations led by and rooted in youth, radical queers, and communities of color. As an advisory board member, volunteer, or collective member, she has worked extensively with the Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP), the Trans Youth Support Network (TYSN), and the Resource Interdependence Working Group. She also collaborated in the initial formation of the Chicago Queer Transformative Justice Working Group, the Chicago Freedom School, and the Edmonia Lewis Center for Women and Transgender People.

As a queer white able-bodied cis-femme with class privilege, Kate is deeply committed to both leveraging and subverting her power and access in order to dismantle oppression and (re)center justice, solidarity, abundance, and interdependence. A New Englander by birth and a Midwesterner by choice, Kate is proud to call Minneapolis, MN home. Between conference calls and spreadsheet sessions, she also loves romping with her two small children, dabbling in handy(wo)man projects, and trying with limited success to grow edible plants.