Katie has a deep commitment to projects that promote healthier lifestyles, particularly access to sports for children with a disability. Katie was born with moderate hearing loss and was later diagnosed with Usher Syndrome (Deaf Blind condition) in her early 20s.
Katie has worked in the consumer sports industry for 15 years for organisations as the NRL, Melbourne Storm, ANZ Stadium, Tabcorp and the NT Department of Sport and Recreation.
Katie is on the Board of Deaf Sports Australia, is an Ambassador for the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children and Usher Kid Australia.
Katie initiated the set up of two professional Fun Runs as part of the RunNSW series. This was a lifelong goal to see her hometowns of Casino and Armidale with their own Fun Runs, and thus facilitating healthier lifestyles. She was also involved in setting up the inaugural Darwin parkrun.
Katie has worked in a number of pro bono roles including the Armidale Council Disability Committee, Media Officer for the Australian Blind Cricket Team and the Australian Deaflympic Team. She was also the first female President of a Rugby Club in Darwin, South Darwin Rugby Union Club.
From February 2015, Katie gained selection on Triathlon Australia's elite Paratriathlon program. Katie would go on to be undefeated in her first year of elite Paratriathlon and won her debut World Championship Paratriathlon PT5 (Vision Impaired) in Chicago, September 2015 with Michellie Jones as her Guide. Katie and Michellie then went on to win Australia's first Paratriathlon medal at the Rio Paralympics, where they won the Gold medal. In September 2017, Katie and Michellie again joined together to win the World Championships for the second time.
In between preparing for the Rio Paralympics, Katie was also one of 11 Australian Institute of Sport’s (AIS) Female athletes involved in the ‘Change the Game’ leadership program. In 2016, Katie was also awarded the Australian Deaf Sports Athlete of the Year in recognition for her 2015 World Championship win.
This year Katie launched a foundation, ‘Sport Access Foundation’, which provides grants for children with an intellectual or physical disability to access sport. The Foundation was officially launched two days before Australia Day 2017.
This year, Katie was awarded been an Order of Australia Medal, was also the recipient of the Sir Roden Cutler Award by the Primary Club of Australia – the cricketers’ charity and was the first Paratriathlete to win Triathlon Australia’s female triathlete of the year award.
In between her training, Katie currently works with the Australian Paralympic Committee in a senior marketing role. She is a graduate of the Bachelor of Arts (Leisure Management), Griffith University and Masters of Business, at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
She is currently preparing for the World Championships in September 2017 on the Gold Coast and is coached by Triathlon Australia’s Elite High Performance Coach Dan Atkins at Bond University on the Gold Coast and the AIS HQ at Pizzey Park.