Educators
Kate Walker
Research Associate
Center for Youth Development
University of Minnesota Extension
270B McNamara Alumni Center
200 Oak St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: (612) 624-7988
Fax: (612) 624-6905
Email: kcwalker@umn.edu
Education
- Ph.D., Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- M.A., Department of Educational Policy & Administration at the University of Minnesota
- B.A., Departments of Psychology and French at Gustavus Adolphus College
Work Experience
- 2007-present: Research Associate, Center for Youth Development, University of Minnesota Extension
- 2001-2007: Coordinator of Research Programs, Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois
- 1998-2003: Coordinator of Research Programs, Center for Prevention Research and Development, University of Illinois
Kate’s current position bridges her expertise in both youth development and applied research. She brings over ten years of experience conducting research and evaluation of youth programs, as well as strong doctoral training in research and evaluation methods in the field of youth development. Previously, Kate served as project director for a qualitative study of the developmental processes that occur in youth programs. Prior to that, Kate provided evaluation support, training and technical assistance to community-based organizations.
Current Role
As a Research Associate, Kate conducts applied research and evaluations of youth development programs and practices. Her works centers on understanding, evaluating and elevating youth work practice. She is particularly interested in practitioner expertise, workforce development, program quality and ethics. Her current research explores the dilemmas practitioners face in their everyday work with youth and their strategies for addressing these challenges.
