Katy brings a over a decade of community engagement experience as founder of Cerebral Palsy Strong, a fast-growing community organization by and for adults with CP.

She believes in the importance of using lived experience and collective storytelling to fuel social change and a sense of belonging. Leading up to CPstrong’s first community-led event in 2019, Katy was featured in the LA Times, OC Register, as well as a book/podcast about women in the outdoors called She Explores.

She knows what it’s like to navigate the murky waters of disability beyond childhood, which inspires her to work toward new levels of community impact and elevate the needs of her community.

Katy holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Soka University of America and an MA in Media and Public Engagement from University of Colorado, Boulder with an emphasis on disability studies and online activism.

Katy lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Joshua and their dog, Beck.

A few fun facts:

• Katy is an identical twin to Sara, who does not have CP. They were born at 27 weeks weighing only 2lbs each.

• She has left spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy and was diagnosed at three years old.

• She has worn the ExoSym device since November 2017 which has helped to reduce bone pain, fatigue, and fall-risk as well as improve alignment, walking speed, stability, and more.

  Katy’s parents met while her dad was a bodybuilder at Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA. They both led a successful career in health & fitness.

• She loves being close to the ocean; the outdoors & open spaces.

• She camped and drove through most of South America in 2017 in a Toyota Land Cruiser with her then-boyfriend, now-husband, Joshua —traveling over 7,000 miles in five months.

• She and Joshua also biked and kayaked their way down the Florida Keys with Project Athena Foundation in 2018.

• They adopted a dog named Beck in February 2020 and he’s kept them active ever since.