“I’m deeply grateful for the amazing cross-functional team effort on making Apple Learning Coach a reality. Special acknowledgment goes to Kat Clark who shaped the vision from its seed, produced powerful and high quality content and led the program until market launch. Kat’s deep commitment for education is clearly visible and I would like to thank her for her tremendous effort and for making an extraordinary difference for learners and educators committed to creativity and learning.”
Dominic Liechti, Apple
“I’m so thankful that I had an opportunity to work with Kat. I like that she uses her work to counter the negative narratives that are out there and that she uses authentic insights from highly effective teachers to make her point.”
Diana Callope, 2015 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year
“Kat is patient, meticulous, and has a passion for digital storytelling. I am consistently impressed with the way she captures people and moments that go overlooked and otherwise unseen.”
Eva McKend, National Politics Reporter at CNN
“One of the reasons I think Kat’s project is so powerful is that it’s being told by teachers, about teaching, for everyone… I’m hoping that we can replace the monolithic view of teaching with a more real and organic story about what teaching is, and I think Kat’s work is moving us one step closer to that direction. Maybe this is an opportunity for us to do things differently and better.”
Ashley Kannan, Cook County Regional Teacher of the Year
“Kat was a joy to work with from our very first meeting. She has an unwavering focus on the customer experience, which in our case, was teachers. Her persistence and attention to detail on ensuring educators became a cornerstone of launching Apple Learning Coach, and I feel great privilege in having had the opportunity to collaborate and learn from Kat throughout her time at Apple.
Kat’s drive, thoughtfulness, and kind, people-first approach make her a valuable member of any team and will take her far in each and every venture she embarks on.”
Elaine Khodzhayan, Apple
“Kat was professional, responsive and delivered quality work under tight deadlines. She even did additional research to inform and enhance the finished product. Her communication was excellent and the value of her years of experience were evident in the speed and quality of the work. Kat was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend her.”
Senior communications leader, government client
“Kat is an excellent partner and made a great impact on the culture in her time at Apple. She goes out of her way to build inclusion and I was always impressed by the results of her work. I would recommend her for any leadership role, and know her passion for education will be an asset in any company.”
Krisi Johnson, Apple
“Kat Clark is outstanding in so many ways. At Khan Lab School, her advanced skills in communication and marketing were integral to shaping our school’s identity and establishing ourselves as a high-profile model school in the field of innovative education. Her ability to highlight what’s special about an organization not only conveys its strengths to the outside world, but elevates what the organization is doing by inspiring all within it to strive for the high level of quality reflected in her work. Kat’s warmth and enthusiasm make connecting with her in a genuine way easy, and her unwavering support of her colleagues not only builds trust and brings out the best in her individual teammates, but also improves the organization’s culture overall.
When Kat and I worked together at KLS, she encouraged me to share my experiences and learnings with the outside world through blogs and videos, and it’s her gentle coaching, keen eye, and professionalism which made this possible. When I felt insecure about my work in this area, Kat emboldened and supported me to share my stories with the oomph and gusto that our school deserved, and stayed by my side through many iterations until I was comfortable. Her guidance made me more confident in my ability to share my knowledge widely. Although we no longer work together, I still seek her advice and company whenever possible.
Kat is at once an independent thinker, innovator, and team player. She upgrades any company or team she joins, and I recommend her without reservation to bring out the very best in your organization.”
Heather Stinnett, School Leader, Teacher, & Personalized Learning Consultant
“Kat was the Director of Marketing and Engagement, and my manager at Landed before she moved on to a new opportunity at Apple. Kat is an engaging and caring leader. She is a clear and responsive communicator who puts her team first, and because of this, she was essential to my growth as a designer and teammate.
Kat’s background in education informs her skills not only in marketing but in management as well. Kat is always willing to give candid, kind, actionable, and valuable feedback. This attribute played a crucial role in my success at Landed and allowed our small team to succeed in completing projects that often changed rapidly.
At Landed (a company that helps essential professionals, starting with educators, build financial security near the communities they serve), Kat spearheaded many impactful projects. Some of her most famous work included redesigning the company’s website, implementing marketing standards, shaping and creating Landed’s brand positioning, running Landed’s social media presence, and driving the creation of Landed’s public-facing brand book.
Kat’s ability to be positive and encouraging while handling a large and continually evolving workload is inspiring and motivating. This feature qualified Kat as a trusted source for guidance for many people in our office (even if they were on entirely different teams).
As one of the hardest working people I have ever met, Kat will go on to have a profound impact on the lives of many people and the companies in which she works.”
Jordan Cohen, Landed employee
“I’ve worked with Kat on a couple of different occasions. She is an incredible photographer and is acutely aware of how to capture moments. This is coupled with creativity and an exceptional work ethic. Her design background makes her a true innovator in all of the types of projects she takes on!”
Anjali Bhatia, Founder
“Kat is clever and creative, detail-oriented, and highly skilled in writing, film production, graphic design, and photography. She has demonstrated business acumen and leadership in the creation of marketing materials for prospective corporate partners. Kat is passionate, analytical, hard-working, and diligent. She is also a meticulous and critical author and artist. She has demonstrated the ability to navigate successfully among our many constituencies. Plus, she is a terrific and witty person with remarkable energy.”
Hillary Sorin, Director of Development at The Chester Fund for Education and the Arts
“Kat Clark is not only a mover and a shaker, she’s a maker: Kat makes things happen like no other. I think that Kat has an incredible vision in this regard: she sees something that needs to exist, or needs to change, and she reaches out to build something in response. That speaks to Kat’s nature as a mission-driven, incredibly compassionate, and entrepreneurial individual.
I think one of her key skills as an artist and writer is in her ability to zoom in on the particular person she’s working with and capture their spirit perfectly. This again speaks to Kat’s compassion and her desire to make relationships happen in any working environment. She is funny and direct, which both make for an insightful spirit. You would be lucky to have Kat on board not only for her artistic merit, which far exceeds my recommendation, but also for her merit as a fantastic colleague.”
Holly Kinnamont, M.Ed. Harvard University Graduate School of Education
“Kat’s ability to wear multiple hats makes her an incredible asset to any team. I worked closely with her for a year and a half during her time as Program Officer of Health for America. In that role, her primary responsibilities were to run the social media platforms and website, to lead strategic marketing, and to develop content (written and visual) for the organization.
Given that HFA was a new non-profit, Kat was able to define the brand, marketing, and outreach for the organization. Kat took initiative to utilize her writing, editing, photography, social media, and storytelling skills to lead the entirety of the non-profit’s marketing and communications strategy. Overall, she is a quick learner, hard-working, and compassionate leader and teammate.”
Ellen Kourakos, Chief Operating Officer at Health for America
“Creative, strategic, forward-thinking, great to work with: Kat was the Program Officer for Health for America before and during my tenure as a fellow. During her time she successfully coordinated recruitment, redesigned the website, planned and executed a communications plan, and provided ongoing programmatic support. Additionally, Kat took the time to train the fellows and I on the Adobe Suite, social media best practices, and blog writing techniques.”
Megan Caldwell, Health for America fellow
“As Program Officer for Health for America, Kat demonstrated her strong commitment to helping non-profit organizations brand and tell stories. She navigates social media platforms with ease, and her adeptness in strategic marketing was crucial to this young organization’s growth in impact and outreach. She is versatile, creative, and approaches her work with empathy and vision.”
Sandra Hwang, healthcare design researcher & strategist
“I love that Kat was able to turn a stressful time in our lives into a happy memory. We were in the middle of moving to a new town and trying to squeeze the portrait in at our old house before we left. It was a chilly, overcast day. Kat immediately took us over and created photographs of our family that exceeded my every expectation. The entire experience was quickly filled with true laughter, friendship, and a very special memory of our final days in our old home. No one could have done it better.”
Sarah Murphy, photography client
“Kat is an asset to any organization. She is helpful, takes initiative, and solves problems. She is capable of tasks and projects far beyond her job descriptions. She is also artistic. She has an eye for composing a frame. She can spin a narrative fluidly. She can edit video seamlessly. Several departments within our organization are quite proud of Kat.”
David Neal, Media Services at Swarthmore College
“Kat excels at bringing out the best in her subjects and making them comfortable in front of a camera. She’s flexible, knowledgable, and finds great images in even simple scenarios. My fiancée and I asked Kat to do a photo shoot with us after we got engaged, to document our lives in Philly before moving on to a new city and a new stage of our lives, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Will Hopkins, photography client
“Kat Clark is the consummate photographer. She captures images beautifully, but more than that, she captured our unique personalites, drew out the special relationships, and truly caught the meaning in the moment. Kat put us at ease and made the experience both intimate and fun. Who knew we could look that good?”
Mary Steege, photography client
“Though my session with Kat began at chilly daybreak, Kat was on point with her dynamic professionalism which motivated an unbelievably poignant collection of photos. Through her digital storytelling prowess and meticulous attention to the ethereal morning light, Kat set up shots that were gracefully poised, yet arrestingly candid. It was a complete delight to work with such a talented photographer, and I will forever cherish my experience and the photos from our shoot.”
Ariel Finegold, portrait model
“Kat,
We were so impressed with your ability to manage such a large group and remain calm and well-organized throughout the day. You were very accommodating to our needs. So many people commented on how relaxed and professional you were.Feel free to use us as a reference for any of your potential clients and we can expand on how happy we were with you. Thank you again for helping in so many different ways.”
Melanie Schowalter, event photography client
“I hired Kat to photograph the cast of Lysistrata and I was very impressed with her work. Not only is she friendly, personable and punctual, but she is a true professional and a very creative young woman. Kat really cares about making everyone on the photo shoot happy and it certainly shows! She is a team player and a great person to work with. I recommend her highly.”
Eva Amessé, photography client now at Sony Entertainment
“Teachers in Their Power provides a platform for teachers to show the hows and whys of teaching. Kat’s photos and the teachers’ narratives complicate the public’s understanding of what it takes to be a teacher and as a result, offer the opportunity to reimagine the teaching profession.
Through these photographs and the vulnerable, raw, and honest narratives that accompany them, audiences learn that teachers are highly trained, well-educated professionals who care deeply for their students, families, and communities. We often discover ‘the calling’ that each teacher answered in entering the profession, what drives them to show up for their students, as well as the challenges they face that aren’t typically known beyond the teaching community.
While teachers are often lauded for educating the next generation of citizens, teachers are vulnerable figures in society, often the target of inflammatory and vilifying rhetoric that undermine the professionalism of teaching. Teachers in Their Power counters these narratives by highlighting the voices and perspectives of teachers. Kat’s storytelling and portraits remind audiences of the humanity of teachers, thereby pushing back against reductive and derogatory characterizations.
This reimagining of who teachers are, what we do, and why is crucial to reclaiming the narrative of America’s teachers: Teachers need the public’s support now more than ever, support that goes beyond an appreciation week and clearing online wishlists. The teaching profession is in crisis, and ultimately, it’s students who bear the weight and consequences. Teachers in Their Power strives to be part of the solution.”
Lisa Sambat, former teacher
“I love seeing the posts that Kat has created for Teachers in Their Power. I find them extremely valuable. I think she does an amazing job capturing the depth and the span of emotions that the teaching profession encompasses… she really knows how to balance the positives and the struggles of the educational world. We get to hear the entire story. And I think that’s what makes it really powerful.”
Misty Kluesner, educational technologist