A Former Hill Staffer Story: Why I Decided to Forgo Medical School for a Calling to Capitol Hill

Katherine Haley is the senior director of K-12 education programs for The Philanthropy Roundtable.

Prior to joining the Roundtable, Katherine spent 13 years working for members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Most recently, she served for seven years as the chief policy adviser for education, workforce, antipoverty, global health, and other social issues for former Speaker of the House John Boehner. Motivated by the belief that all students deserve access to a great education, Katherine was instrumental in the successful reauthorization of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. She previously served as a policy adviser and legislative assistant for Representative Pete Hoekstra, and a legislative aide for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

A native of Arizona, Katherine received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke University and her master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University. She serves on several boards in the Washington, D.C. area, and is actively involved with Opportunity International.