> Katherine is an accomplished attorney with deep experience in land use issues, civil and criminal law, and complex communications.

Katherine's varied experience in criminal prosecution, as a civil litigator, and as a political aide serves her well as she brings her expertise to bear on behalf of Barbary Coast's clients. Having negotiated with government from the inside - and out - she is quite familiar with the stresses and strains elected officials are under as they make complex and far-reaching decisions.

Most recently, Katherine served as Legislative Aide to the Chair of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee. In that role, she negotiated with City staff, developers, community leaders and other stakeholders to forge common ground and force forward motion in the complex San Francisco entitlements process. Working in conjunction with staff from many City departments, she is deeply familiar with issues of redevelopment and the legislative process.

Previously, Katherine worked at the law firm of Gordon and Rees, where she worked on matters of national importance, including the complex Fen-Phen litigation and Bextra/Celebrex litigation. At Gordon and Rees, Katherine also honed her skills on cases involving land use, environmental issues, and employment law. She served in the San Francisco, San Mateo and Sonoma County District Attorney's offices, where she prosecuted misdemeanor and felony cases, wrote and argued motions, and negotiated settlements. Katherine continues to be licensed to practice law in the State of California.

Katherine is a proud graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara, and received her law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She serves on the Board of Managers for San Francisco's Shih-Yu Lang Central YMCA and volunteers regularly for the Y as the chair of the youth project team; is a member of Queen's Bench; and raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by completing triathlons and volunteering as triathlon team staff.

---

Through kiva.org, all Barbary Coast employees make interest-free microloans to people in need around the world.  Katherine’s Kiva partners are Marie Siati and Agnes Wanjera Ngamate.  The sole provider for her three children, Marie runs a food market in Lomé, Togo.  Agnes works to provide for her two children by running a food kiosk in which she cooks and delivers nutritious food to locals in Mombasa, Kenya.