Kathy Murphy

Kathy joined YES! in the summer of 2019 following a varied career contributing to organizations trying to impact their communities in a positive way. Kathy graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Elementary Education. After a year of classroom teaching in public schools, Kathy decided that was not her thing, so she embarked on a decade working for alternative education programs. She worked for residential programs, leading horse-packing and hiking trips and aboard traditional sailing vessels. All of these experiences were based around showing students that strangers can come together, build a community and together successfully accomplish new things. Curiosity about the world outside the U.S. led to Peace Corps West Africa, where she taught in a bush school and facilitated development projects. After returning, she co-founded two businesses, the nonprofit Salish Sea Expeditions and a local veterinary practice.