Katie Koester joined the City and Borough of Juneau team in March of 2020. She is from Homer, Alaska where she was born and raised and served for 5 years as City Manager. Before working for the City of Homer, she spent 7 years as a legislative aide with the Alaska State Legislature, where she grew to love the sense of place and community in the capital city and set her sights on returning permanently one day. She has an undergraduate degree in Government from Smith College, a graduate degree in Political Science from the Pontific Catholic University of Chile where she studied as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, and is pursuing her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast. When not working, Katie takes every opportunity she can to explore the endless trails Juneau has to offer with her children Gus, Willym, and husband Doug.