Katie Sonnen, Operations Manager

Katie was born in Washington state, although she spent most of her childhood in East Tennessee where she graduated from high school. She grew up in a small town centered around a liberal arts college, and she was able to experience first-hand the value that educational institutions bring to the community. Education is greatly valued in her family, and many of her family members are teachers and administrators in schools and universities throughout the southern United States.

After spending years in Germany as a cartographer for the US Army, Katie’s father instilled a love of language and other cultures in her at a young age, often speaking to her in German at home and quizing her on countries’ locations and cultures before bed time. This inspired Katie to study German in high school and college.  She graduated from Roanoke College in Salem,  VA with a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in German.

A few weeks after graduating from college, Katie moved to South Korea where she spent 3 years teaching Korean preschool and elementary students in an English immersion setting. During this time, she also spent 3 months in Argentina earning her TEFL certificate. In the US, Katie worked in admissions at the Barrie School, an independent Montessori school in Maryland. Most recently, she was the Program Manager at Cuidando Los Niños in Albuquerque, NM, a non-profit providing high-quality early childhood development to children experiencing homelessness and support services to their families.

Katie thrives on being in a diverse, multi-cultural environment and is enjoying learning more about the IB curriculum at MIS. When she’s not working, Katie enjoys traveling, watching the NFL (Go, Pack, Go!), cooking, and spending time exploring Texas with her husband and dog.