About

Katie Wetherbee completed her undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University, where she majored in Special Education and Human & Organizational Development.  Katie began her teaching career in the Washington, DC area at a public school. Since then, she has taught in a variety of settings, including a community college, a psychiatric hospital day school and a learning center. Katie holds a master’s degree in education from Hood College, where she served on the adjunct faculty for the Reading Specialist program.

Currently, Katie works as an educational consultant in private practice. Her firm, HOPE Educational Consulting, serves families in over 90 school districts and private schools in Ohio by providing solution-oriented advocacy. Her own experience as a mother to a child with special needs, along with her teaching background, gives Katie a unique perspective on advocacy. She has been invited to speak at local parent groups and also for the Northern Ohio Hemophilia Association, the Cancer Survivor Center at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital and the OCALI national conference.

 Additionally, Katie is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in publications such as Nashville Magazine, Northeast Ohio Family, and HeartShapers. She served as the education columnist for Currents News in Northeast Ohio for two years.

A lifelong Christian, Katie has enjoyed a variety of volunteer positions in churches. She has taught both Sunday School and Vacation Bible School as well as volunteering in high school and middle school youth groups. She and her husband started a Young Couples group in two churches. In addition, Katie has served on Christian Education Committees and as a Sunday School Superintendent.  Now Director of Education for Key Ministry, Katie is thrilled to combine her passion for families affected by disabilities with her faith in Christ. With Key Ministry, Katie has presented at Ohio Joni and Friends seminars, the Accessibility Summit at McLean Bible Church, The Tough Ministries Conference in Houston, and the Access Conference at Northland Church in Orlando.

 Katie’s most important credential is her “MBA:” She is MOM to Bill and Annie. Katie and her husband, Tom, live with their two teenagers in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Why “Diving for Pearls?” Click here for the story.