Kate O'Connell (she/they)

Kate (she/they) comes to Code for America with more than 15 years of expertise as a design leader across the non-profit and private sectors, with a focus on human-centered, research-backed, sustainable design practices that solve real problems for real people. She has a deep commitment to empathic people leadership that centers the growth, health, and overall well-being of her diverse team members. Prior to joining Code for America, Kate was most recently the Head of Product Design & Research at the Obama Foundation, and has worked as a consultant building digital tools for organizations like Teamsters, Giffords, Ocean Conservancy, and the Me Too Movement.

Kate lives outside of Portland, OR with her partner, 3 dogs, and 2 horses, and enjoys spending her free time hiking and kayaking throughout the PNW, creating fine art ceramics and jewelry, and renovating a 1935 schoolhouse. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Design from The Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington DC.