I started event planning at age 13 and have planned a variety of events from large to small, from youth to adults, and covering a wide range of issues.

The first conference I coordinated was the Midcoast 4-H Teen Conference. To plan the conference, I assembled a volunteer team and managed all the logistics, program planning, budget, hotel contract, catering needs, speaker recruitment, event promotion and evaluation. The first conference attracted 200 youth, and quickly became a yearly event. By the time I graduated high school, the conference was a statewide event planned by a youth committee via interactive television with a data link between 4-H youth from Costa Rica, Botswana, and the US as the highlight of the event.

At age 16 I founded a non-profit, The Rainforest Challenge where I wrote and received grant funds, in-kind donations and corporate support, developed programs and curriculum, budgets, event and speaking schedules, travel arrangements, press coverage and development of marketing materials. My efforts resulted in the program growing from a local to a nationally recognized program with coverage on te state of Maine's NBC, PBS and Public Radio affiliates as well as receiving local newspaper coverage.

Later, while at the Island Institute I organizing and managing the logistics for major donor special events that resulted in a 50% increase in major donor gifts. In my role as the 4-H Alumni Coordinator for National 4-H Council I successfully explored the intersections between technology and alumni recruitment efforts by creating two high-powered technology panels for their National 4-H Foundation Directors Conference including re-introducing one of our previously unknown 4-H alumni (who is now a technology venture capitalist and CEO) back into the 4-H family. My efforts directly resulted in a 40% increase in alumni registration, and a $.5 million donation from a 4-H alum.

As the Field Manager for National Youth Service Day, I managed and supported 50 lead agencies in planning and promoting large (300 to 70,000 volunteers) events for the weekend celebration. My experience founding and managing the lead agency program demonstrates my ability to manage a variety of tasks and PR stories as well as motivate and manage a large number (around 250) and variety of organizations and individuals. My experience as a grassroots manager is most clearly demonstrated in the comments from the agencies I managed:

• "I could not have asked for a better person to work with. I still talk to her while finishing things up. She was a godsend for a first time Lead Agency." - Mark Cowley, Blackfoot/Bingham County Youth Coalition - Blackfoot, ID

• "Katherine was AWESOME. She was well organized, helpful and above all else, PATIENT!!! Because there are constantly events and projects coming out of our office, it was sometimes difficult for us to make the calls or meet the deadlines. Katherine was more than patient with us and was of great assistance every step of the way." - Cristal Cole, Florida Governor's Mentoring Initiative Office - Tallahassee, FL
• Or view comments from the Director of Government Relations at Youth Service America.