Katie works to conserve insect pollinators across Texas, with a focus on monarch butterflies. She serves as a Partner Biologist with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Texas state office in Temple, TX. Katie received her M.S. degree in environmental science & policy from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she conducted a biodiversity survey of spiders. Katie began studying and creating effective monarch butterfly habitat in 2018 and graduated from the University of Missouri in 2023 with a Ph.D. in plant, insect & microbial sciences. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Texas at Austin examining the effects of parasitism on dung beetle behavior and ecosystem services in central Texas. Outside of work you can find Katie spending time with her parrots and riding horses.