Originally from the South Lake Tahoe area, Katie received a BA in English from San Jose State University, MA in Linguistics from University of California Davis, and -- after teaching back at SJSU for several years -- a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Penn State University, where she conducted research on Global English discourse and critical language teacher education in rural areas of Nicaragua, where she has volunteered for over a decade. Her research and teaching often focus on the interconnected nature of language, power, and social interaction. She has a secondary research interest in language and (dis)ability, especially at the intersection of social class.