Katie Gerken

Katie Gerken is an educator and organizer with over 22 years of experience working in the labor movement for UNITE, UNITE HERE, Workers United, SEIU Local 32BJ, and SEIU International Union. Katie held numerous staff positions, from organizer to Field Director, and has served as an elected leader of a local union in Colorado and as an executive board member of SEIU Local 32BJ.  Throughout her career, Katie has specialized in member engagement and staff development (with a specific focus on member-facing staff).  Katie has a deep interest in labor education as a means to grow the capacity of the labor movement and strengthen its ability to fight for working people every day.  At the ILR School of Cornell University, Katie anchors the Managing with Labor’s Values program. She lives in Nyack, New York, with her three school-aged children and husband of 16 years.