Katherine is a third year Ph.D. student in communications at Columbia University, where she is researching the intersections of global and domestic public opinion, media, and U.S. foreign policy. Upon graduating with a B.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University in 2000, Katherine worked as a National Security Council public affairs assistant and as a Presidential Scheduling Coordinator at The White House. In 2001, she spent a year uncovering resources for medical missions in China, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam for the international charity Operation Smile. In 2002, Katherine returned to the NSC to serve as an assistant to the National Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor before assuming a year-long role advising on communications and public events at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since 2005, she has worked as a Communications Manager for the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation, focusing on media-related issues in its Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan offices.