Bringing people together to help kids succeed.
For more than twenty-five years, Katie Dealy has built partnerships and led strategic initiatives to expand opportunities for young people to thrive.
Katie thrives in unexpected settings—the more unconventional the pairing, the better. From creating a bipartisan program on Capitol Hill to collaborations between government officials, athletes, artists, and entertainers, she has a knack for uniting diverse voices around a shared goal: making a meaningful impact.
Katie currently serves as Senior Advisor to Dr. Vivek Murthy and The Together Project, a national initiative to catalyze greater community and connection in America.
Katie Dealy speaking alongside renowned journalist, David Greene, about authentic community and curiosity at University of Pittsburgh’s Year of Discourse and Dialogue series. Photo credit: The Falk School ©
From 2022 to 2025, Katie served as Director of Public Engagement for the 21st U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, where she led national efforts on youth mental health, social media, loneliness, and gun violence. Katie led the team that built coalitions across health, education, government, sports, arts, and entertainment—reaching two-thirds of U.S. states and expanding globally to the UK, Japan, India, and with the World Health Organization. She directed the Surgeon General’s Connection Tour across college campuses and spearheaded a landmark mental health and arts collaboration with the Kennedy Center honoring the Surgeon General’s Medallion Awardees for Health.
Katie Dealy walking with Dr. Vivek Murthy outside of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Previously, Katie served as the founding Chief Operating Officer of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago. As COO, she led the creation of the Center’s strategic vision and large-scale community partnerships. She oversaw the Center’s growth, serving more than 5,000 children and caregivers annually across the country through multi-sector collaborations. She also managed the Center’s staff, budget, operations, and fundraising, raising more than $25M.
Photo credit: TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health ©
From 2010 to 2016, Katie worked in leadership roles for the national offices of Teach For America, including three years as Chief of Staff to the CEO. While at Teach For America, she led national partnerships with education policy and advocacy organizations, oversaw high-stakes strategic projects, and created a national bipartisan Capitol Hill Fellows Program for alumni pursuing careers in public service. Katie started her career as a teacher in Oakland, California through Teach For America.
Prior to serving on staff at Teach For America, Katie worked in early childhood policy and public affairs for the city of Chicago, Start Early, and a private family foundation.
Katie Dealy during her first summer teaching in 2000.
Katie serves as President of the Board of Evanston Scholars – a non-profit that supports first generation students as they navigate college and early careers.
Katie earned her BA Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University and her MA from Columbia University. As an undergraduate student, she was elected to Cornell’s Board of Trustees and received the JFK Memorial Award, an award given to a senior dedicated to a career in public service. She remains an active alumna of her alma mater, and she now serves as Chair of the JFK Memorial Award Alumni Board and supports campus efforts to expand public service pathways for students.
Katie Dealy and Eileen Mason at Cornell Class of 1964 JFK Symposium, 2024.
A proud Pittsburgh native, Katie now lives in the Chicago area with her husband and their three sons.
Katie trained to be a professional dancer at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and the Joffrey Ballet Trainee Program in New York City. Today she is a yoga enthusiast, an animated spectator of youth sports, all things Pittsburgh, and English Premier League soccer.
Katie Dealy, her husband, and their three sons.
Press
We are failing our children by keeping them out of the classroom
Chicago Tribune, 12/2020
5 ways to combat loneliness, according to David Greene and Katie Dealy
University of Pittsburgh, 04/2025
LEAs, federal leaders share how they’re addressing youth mental health
California School Boards Association, 10/2022
UChicago receives surprise donation from 11-year-old for COVID-19 research
University of Chicago, 09/2020
Learning made fun with alum Katie Dealy
University of Pittsburgh, 04/2025
Addressing the Student Mental Health Crisis
Healthy Schools Campaign, 09/2022
JFK Award winner to mentor girls of color in STEM
Cornell University, 05/2023