Katie is Community Engagement & Digital Marketing at VaxTogetherAustin. She received her PhD in Performance as Public Practice from UT-Austin in May 2019 after defending her dissertation,"'They shall be speaking forever': performing revolution, riot, and the nation in the centenary commemorations of Ireland's 1916 Rising." She also teaches at Southwestern University, UT-Austin, and Austin Community College, while making theatre as a director and dramaturg with several Austin companies. She returned to Ireland in 2016 to conduct fieldwork “exploring the formation and reception of theatre productions funded by–or in conversation with--the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, a national commemorative initiative marking the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising.” Katie is a 2012 Mitchell Scholar. She received an MA in Theater and Drama from the National University of Ireland, Galway. At NUIG she wrote her first published academic paper which presented an overview of Irish theater in 2011. A director and actor, Katie directed a play showcased at the Irish Student Drama Awards in Dublin as well as performing in the Galway Fringe Festival. In Derry, Katie volunteered with Theater of Witness, an organization that works with people from all sides of the troubles as well as prison populations to promote community through shared autobiographical narrative. Katie obtained her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.