Teaching

Teaching Assistant, Public Policy                           December 2014 – May 2016

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, Adelaide, Australia and Pittsburgh, Penn., USA

Assisted faculty members with three courses: Strategic Planning, Professional Writing, and Strategic Presentation Skills.

AmeriCorps Member - Teacher and Teaching Assistant            July 2009 – June 2010

MT. EDGECUMBE HIGH SCHOOL, Sitka, Alaska, USA           

Taught, mentored, and tutored more than 350 diverse and at-risk high school students from 100+ villages in Alaska in professional development and dance. Supported oceanography, Japanese, and English teachers with classroom management, overseeing off-site study, and tutoring students.

Professional

Co-Founder and Co-Director of Research and Advocacy July 2025 – present

VOCAL, Remote                                                        

Lead design and implementation of research and advocacy strategies, conduct analysis, data gathering, and synthesis of policy-relevant topics, and engage in meaningful policy engagement with key stakeholders.

Policy Research, Evaluation, and Knowledge Management Specialist October 2020 – present

KATIE WHIPKEY CONSULTING, Remote                     

Lead design, analysis, and writing of research and evaluation for more than a dozen clients on topics related to international development, humanitarian, and social policy, specializing in rigorous qualitative methodologies and participatory action research. Relevant projects include lead authorship of the 2025 Defining Feminist Foreign Report for the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, the analysis of 2025 Gender-Based Violence prevention milestones for The Accelerator for GBV Prevention, and serving on the Advisory Committee for the updated Gender Equality in Foreign Policy Index by the ICRW.

Graduate Research Assistant, Human Security & Public Policy   August 2023 – present

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Conduct archival research and literature reviews related to topics of U.S. intelligence and covert action, U.S. government engagement with women’s organizations, Latin American gender policy and health reform, and immigration and partisanship.

Policy, Research, and Communications Officer           February 2019 – October 2020

CARE, The Hague, The Netherlands

Responsible for research, policy analysis, communications, and evaluation accompaniment for a six-country program focused on strengthening inclusive governance processes for women and youth and women’s rights in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Relevant project included a first-of-its-kind cross-national study on the norms and practices of public authorities in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Policy Analyst III, Behavioral and Policy Sciences          August 2016 – October 2018

RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA                                                         

Conducted mixed methods studies and evaluations, specializing in qualitative analysis, and developed policy recommendations for federal and local governments, foundations, and other institutions in multiple countries. Relevant projects included research on landslide prediction and early warning systems in remote communities and the creation of a comprehensive recovery plan in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.

Technology & Humanitarian Affairs Intern                 May 2015 – July 2015

UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, Geneva, Switzerland

Led three independent research projects for field information services on information management and humanitarian response, including pioneering guidance book on how humanitarian organizations can incorporate big data into response operations.

Manager of Events, Office for External Relations             January 2011 – May 2014

HARVARD T. H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Boston, Massachusetts, USA         

Co-created and implemented a coherent vision and strategy for organizing and connecting donor events across more than ten different public health topical foci, setting and achieving individual and institutional fundraising goals including raising more than $1M at a single event; launching the Harvard Humanitarian Academy; and coordinating talking points, written and video statements, and logistics for VIP speakers and guests.

Office Assistant             May 2010 – August 2010

MT. EDGECUMBE HIGH SCHOOL, Sitka, Alaska, USA           

Supported marketing and admissions, managing intake of 350 students including handling confidential paperwork, coordinating travel logistics from across the state, and coordinating with family members and school administration.