Kathy is originally from Stockton, Illinois. Her family moved to Wisconsin the day after she graduated from high school. She stayed in Illinois for a few years working at an insurance company and a PK-12 school district, but ended up migrating north to Wisconsin also. She worked at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College for 32 years prior to coming to work for AFT-Wisconsin as the Executive Assistant. She served as a local union leader for 22 years during her time at Southwest Tech where she was the Admissions/Registration Specialist and then the PeopleSoft Student Administration System Specialist.

During those years, she also served as an Employee Trust Fund Board member for 8 years and an AFT-Wisconsin Executive Board member for 12 years. She is a lifetime member of the AFT-Wisconsin Retiree Council.

She and her husband live in Highland, Wisconsin. They have three grown children. 2016 has been an exciting year for them as they had a new grandson born on June 29 and their youngest daughter was married on October 1.

When not working, Kathy enjoys going to the Overture Center for the Arts and the Fireside Dinner Theatre. She also enjoys music, reading, their annual trip to Florida in the winter, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.