APLU Staff Profile, Office of Data and Policy Analysis Associate Katie Boyle

What was your first real job? My first job out of undergrad at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW) was an Americorps VISTA placement at a homeless shelter in Alexandria, VA. I did a combination of data and volunteer coordination work, focused on building capacity. I ended up being hired full-time after my year of service and stayed for another two years before joining APLU!

Why did you want to work at APLU? I wanted to join APLU to gain experience working in a national-scale nonprofit. I was looking to translate my direct-service experience to large-scale, policy work.

What motivates you to work in higher education? I have been privileged enough to attend two public institutions that are APLU members. I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and am currently working on a masters of public policy at George Mason University. I am most passionate about expanding equity and accessibility of higher education through affordability and inclusion.

What current APLU project or initiative are you most excited about? I am excited to be working with the Commission on Information, Measurement, and Analysis to develop a way to succinctly express the value of higher education at public universities.

What is your favorite thing about living in DC? As a native of Northern Virginia, I appreciate the accessibility of DC. I love being able to walk to bars and restaurants from my apartment while only being a twenty-minute drive from my family!

What was the last concert you attended? Seeing live music is one of my favorite activities. Living so close to the 9:30 club, it’s hard for me to turn down a show! This week I saw both Julia Jacklin and Courtney Barnett and will be attending Father John Misty in a few days.

If you could have dinner with three famous people who would they be? I would love to have dinner with Fred Hampton, Che Guevara, and Norm McDonald. All three are incredible different, but equally influential on me. It would be a very different world if all three hadn’t passed at the times they did.

What’s one thing people would never guess about you? While I was in college I boxed and worked at a boxing gym! These days, I do ceramics and can make a mean mug.