Our Team
Katherine Bathgate, CEO & Co-FOUNDER
Katherine Kellett Bathgate is the CEO & Co-Founder of SchoolForward. She previously led the communications and marketing team at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools to advance the charter school movement at the state, local, and federal level. From 2011-2013, she was the Deputy Press Secretary for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce where she launched and oversaw the committee’s digital communications work to help educate the public and members of Congress of the committee’s education, labor, and healthcare priorities. Her work was recognized with a Platinum Mouse Award by the Congressional Management Foundation. Katherine has secured media coverage from hundreds of news outlets across the country and contributed to the passage of dozens of bills at both the state and federal level. Katherine is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College. She and her husband reside in Park City with their three children and enjoy skiing, hiking, and learning how to raise chickens.
whitney vogrinec, Chief of Staff
Whitney Vogrinec is an experienced education reform advocate who leads and implements strategic plans for SchoolForward’s various clients. She is a research graduate of Brigham Young University where she specialized in family life. Her research and writing has contributed to multiple scholarly works and family well-being magazines. She comes from a family of school choice advocates and has been involved in the movement since she was a child. She and her husband reside in Pittsburgh with their daughter.
Keri anderson, Vice President of digital Strategy
Keri Anderson has more than 20 years of experience doing project management and marketing for nonprofits, including eight years as the head of marketing for a mid-size nonprofit think tank. She is a digital media expert and has run numerous successful local, state, and national social media campaigns for a variety of clients and projects with budgets both large and small. She also specializes in online content, email marketing, SEO, and Google AdWords.
JAMES SCIMECCA, MEDIA & WRITING
James Scimecca is a communications professional with extensive experience working with advocacy and non-profit organizations. In his career, he has led crisis communications and media strategy at the forefront of some of the nation's most pressing policy debates. Working with groups from across the political spectrum, James successfully builds coalitions around common-sense ideas. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Political Communications, both from The American University in Washington, D.C. In his role at SchoolForward, James works with clients to draft content and shape media and legislative strategy. James lives in Hoboken, New Jersey and, when not at work, can usually be found running along the Hudson River, cooking up a new recipe, or searching for the best karaoke spot.
JESSICA HOGENSON, CREATIVE & DESIGN
Jessica Hogenson is a creative professional who delivers graphic design, illustration, brand strategy, and visual marketing expertise to a variety of clients. Jessica’s work has been written up by ABC News, Politico, Elle Magazine, The American Spectator, The Hill, the New York Daily News, The Village Voice and others. After having lived in both Washingtons (State and D.C.), Jessica, her husband, and their daughter happily make their home in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex where they enjoy such Texas things as going to rodeos and exploring quaint historic downtowns.