Katie grew up in a very musical family, with both parents teaching music in schools, and her dad singing as part of the San Francisco Opera chorus. She started playing piano and singing early, eventually playing flute in the marching band in high school and joining various choral groups.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Sonoma State University in California, focusing on vocal performance, while also studying early childhood education. She performed in musicals and operettas, including the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus and Rapunzel in Into the Woods, as well as collaborated in the creation of multiple workshop musicals throughout her university years. She sang in local community choirs, as well as the Oakland Symphony Chorus and the Pacific Mozart Ensemble. She studied abroad in Germany for a year and attended Hochschüle für Musik in Trossingen, Germany, along with her husband who is also a singer and actor. 
Since graduating, Katie has been working as a first grade teacher, but she continues to perform locally, including participating in musicals, concerts, and Christmas caroling in December. She recently returned from teaching first grade at an international school in Poland, where she also taught voice to local students. She has worked with Music to My Ears as musical theatre director and summer camp director in the past.