November 2025 Member Spotlight
Katherine Anderson
Career Navigator, Title I-B, American Job Center at Yavapai College
Where are you originally from and what brought you to Arizona?
I was born in Anaheim, California and moved to San Diego when I was a toddler. We were right around the corner from Disneyland, so my family went there all the time when I was young and I still have a pair of Mickey Mouse ears from that time. As an adult, I moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona, but with the culture shock of leaving ‘large city San Diego’ for ‘small town Sierra Vista,’ we quickly moved to Tucson. We lived there for about eight years before moving to Prescott, Arizona, where I could experience the four seasons.
How did you come to work in the economic development profession?
It was actually a little bit of luck. I previously worked in city government and then in Human Resources at the local hospital, Yavapai Regional Medical Center. I loved my job, but after about eight years, I needed a change, and Yavapai College was hiring for their Regional Economic Development and Small Business Development Center. They needed a Program Assistant, and I figured I would give it a try.
How did that translate to your current role?
It was funny, because the person before me was very old school and they still had a typewriter on their desk. They left no instructions. I put the typewriter on a shelf and got to work figuring everything out. My director at the time mentioned that there were job fairs that needed coordination with external partners. I don’t remember how, but I figured it all out, became the lead for all job fairs, and started creating additional job fairs. Now they call me the “Job Fair Queen” and I found what I love to do. My growth in this field taught me that I’m a Career Coach at heart. I love helping people and being the bridge from education to employment and everything in between.
Any projects that you’re particularly proud of?
I’m working on a soft skills survey that we’re doing to try to connect the job seekers with the employers. We took information from the World Economic Forum’s Top 10 Soft Skills that recognize what job seekers are lacking and then we surveyed local employers to get their feedback. We’re going to take that information, compile it, and then we’re going to design and create soft skill workshops to better prepare job seekers for the local job market.
What is the best thing about AAED?
AAED is a really great group of people – the partnership, teamwork, and collaboration allows the sharing of tips, tricks, and trade secrets and I really appreciate everyone’s willingness to share their ideas. Similarly, I’m always happy to help and if someone has a question – just ask!
What committees are you involved in?
I’m on the Workforce Committee and I’m the Vice Chair of the Northern Committee.
What comes to mind when you think about Arizona?
Not workforce related, but I think about the beautiful sunsets.
What do you like to do outside of work?
When I’m not injured, I love trail running (Arizona has the best trails!) and working on my garden. I jokingly tell people that my nickname would be the “Running Gardner.” Also, my husband and I have a goal to visit baseball stadiums around the U.S. and last year we went to Wrigley Field with plans to visit more.
Anything else you can share?
At the 2025 AAED Spring Conference, I won the Workforce Practitioner Award, which was exciting!
