Katie Steen-James is the Manager of Public Policy & Advocacy at SPARC where she is responsible for promoting policy and coalition activities to advance SPARC’s commitment to making Open the default in research and education. In this role, she works with the entire SPARC team to develop SPARC’s policy goals and priorities, and leads the organization's implementation of federal and state advocacy strategies. Previously, Katie served as a federal relations officer at the Association of American Universities (AAU) where she led advocacy on policy issues ranging from humanities and foreign language education to agricultural research. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri where she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and her master’s degree in public affairs with an emphasis in public policy. Katie is based in Chicago, IL.