An Interview With… Katie Foster Oct 28, 2021 | Interview With . . . When Sara headed off into retirement last month, there was a gaping hole in the offices downstairs. This week, we welcomed Katie Foster into our midst, so we thought we should conduct a little interview to get to know her better! Kerrie: Tell us where you’re from, and how you got to Omaha? Katie: I grew up just outside of Denver, Colorado. My path to Omaha could be best described as lengthy and circuitous, but the short version of the story is that I met Pete Fey at Bennington College in Vermont. We moved to New York City together in 2019, which turned out to be a very bad time to move to the city. As the pandemic raged in New York, we decided we wanted to come back to the Midwest, and Omaha it was! Kerrie: How long have you been here? Katie: Pete and I relocated to Omaha in June 2020, so I have been here for about a year and a half. Kerrie: Can you share some of your work history with us? Katie: I spent the last year working for Omaha Public Schools as a paraprofessional. Before coming to Omaha, I have worked as a bookseller, a florist, and a public library assistant. I hold an MFA in Literary Arts from Brown University. While I was a grad student at Brown, I had the amazing opportunity to design and teach two undergraduate poetry courses. Kerrie: How do you think that history has prepared you to work with us at FCC? Katie: I think I have very strong people skills, I can keep up a conversation with just about anyone, age 5 to 95! As someone who has worked in a public library, I have experience dealing with folks from all walks of life with varying needs. I’m good at keeping a level head and helping people with what they need. As a writer, I think I have strong attention to detail, particularly with writing and design. I enjoy making booklets and pamphlets, which I think will be a skill that comes in handy here! Kerrie: What excites you most about this new opportunity? Katie: I’m excited to become acquainted with such a strong community. Even though I’ve been in Omaha for over a year, COVID has made it hard to meet and get to know people. I really appreciate the human connection I’ve felt so far. Kerrie: What might be your biggest challenge with this new role? Katie: Figuring out how to transfer calls on our phones! Only partly kidding. But I think it will be important for me to learn the ins-and-outs of the community, especially one that has such a strong historic connection in Omaha. I want to respect and honor what has come before and still add my own touch to things. Kerrie: Anything else you want our congregation to know? Katie: I’m just so happy to be here, and happy to meet everyone! Stop by my office any time!
