A civic educator and grassroots advocate has been named the new director of the Women’s Leadership Program at the Carl Albert Center, a congressional research center.

“I’m very excited that I will get to draw upon my experience to help prepare young people to get involved with their community, work in civic service, nonprofits and politics,” said new director Katie Fitzgerald. “The program has been very successful, and I wish to help continue its growth.”

As the program’s director, Fitzgerald will contribute to the center’s civic education programs like Community Scholars. In addition, she will provide direction for the biennial Pipeline to Politics initiative and the annual National Education for Women’s Leadership undergraduate program.

“I would like to work out a way on how to reach out to younger women and girls, possibly partner with others with the same goal and help women have the opportunity to see how fully involved they can be in their community, whether it be through civic service, nonprofits or politics,” Fitzgerald said.

Prior to working at OU, Fitzgerald worked as director of the Oklahoma Afterschool Network, a coalition dedicated to improving youth development in the state. As director, she expanded the network’s base of advocates and financial support, laying the groundwork to pass the Quality Afterschool Opportunities Act in 2008, a program within the Department of Health that assists out-of-school programs to combat childhood obesity.

“I came here three years ago and quickly got involved in the nonprofits here in Oklahoma. It is a sector that really needs new, upcoming, bright people,” Fitzgerald said.

In Michigan, Fitzgerald worked as program director with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a private grant foundation, where she led and implemented a $20 million initiative called “Yes We Can,” which focused on the mobilization of grassroots and institutional leaders to expand economic opportunity, improve neighborhoods and educational outcomes for children and youth.

She also served in many leadership roles in Michigan, where she worked for the United Way of Greater Battle Creek in Michigan as president and vice president for Community Investment, as an evaluator with the Michigan Public Health Institute, as adjunct faculty in the graduate school of social work at Western Michigan University and as a consultant for private foundations and nonprofit organizations.