Afton Partners

Since joining Afton in 2014, Katie has supported state agencies and local education agencies on initiatives at the intersection of finance, strategy, and governance, with a particular interest in engaging diverse stakeholders in major change initiatives. Katie has led Advisory Groups, Commissions, and Task Forces that ensure authentic and representative voice, center equity, and lead to actionable recommendations that move the field forward while acknowledging implementation realities. Highlights of Katie’s work at Afton include planning for and managing the Illinois State Board of Education’s response to the ESSA Financial Transparency Requirement, facilitating the Illinois Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission, and leading the planning work to mobilize the State of Illinois toward operationalizing the Commission’s recommendations. Prior to joining Afton, Katie served as founding Chief of Staff for the Portfolio Office at Chicago Public Schools. While at CPS, Katie led policy development for the conversion to student-based budgeting, an initiative that sought to ensure equitable and transparent distribution of resources to the district’s 600+ direct-run and charter schools.

Earlier in her career, Katie spent nearly a decade in progressing roles in financial and operational management for Baxter Healthcare and Ford Motor Company. She earned an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and a BBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame. Katie also serves on the board and as volunteer COO of the Rare Kidney Disease Foundation.