Katie is originally from DeWitt, Michigan (near Lansing), but she would rather talk with you about the time she has spent in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She graduated from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Ecology, and worked for the National Parks Service at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on invasive species management for six summers. Katie went on to incorporate this employment into her study for a Master of Science at the University of Michigan’s School of Environment and Sustainability (formerly SNRE). Katie has been with ISN since 2013, has been the Coordinator since 2014, and oversees the overall efforts of the organization. In concert with her work at ISN, Grzesiak helps wider invasive species efforts shine through service on the Michigan Invasive Species Coalition Core Team, the Midwest Invasive Plant Network’s Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes Collaborative, and the tri-national steering committee for the Play Clean Go™ campaign.
In her free time, Katie enjoys most outdoor activities and a few indoor ones, including backpacking and hiking, camping, skiing, kayaking, gardening, reading, knitting, and giving her pet bird, Tiberius, the scritches he demands.