Katherine Rinkenberger graduated in May 2022 with a Master of Public Policy degree from Vanderbilt University. Her studies focused on education policy, specifically in the K-12 sector. Her areas of interest are teacher policy, organizational structure and performance, and the intersection of law and education. While at Vanderbilt, Katherine served as president of the graduate school’s Honor Council and founded the Peer Accountability Collaborative Experience (P.A.C.E.) through Vanderbilt’s Graduate Student Council. She also worked on multiple research projects within the special education department and worked as associate editor for the Peabody Journal of Education.

Prior to coming to Nashville, Katherine lived in San Francisco, California, and St. Louis, Missouri. While living in San Francisco, Katherine earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English education from San Francisco State University and taught 7th Grade English language arts and English language development in San Francisco Unified School District. She also volunteered as a writing tutor with the non-profit organization 826 Valencia.

In her free time, Katherine enjoys volunteering at local animal shelters, cheering with the crowd at hockey games, and exploring the city with her pup, Pepper.