KATIE LOOVIS
Director of External Affairs and Take Pride in America
U.S. Department of Interior
Washington, DC
Katie Loovis serves as Director of External Affairs for the U. S. Department of Interior (DOI), a federal agency with over 67,000 employees located in approximately 2,400 operating locations. Positioned in the Office of the Secretary, Loovis works to advance the agency’s mission, initiatives, and policies with the private and nonprofit sectors.
In addition to her DOI external affairs role, Loovis also serves as the Executive Director of Take Pride in America® (TPIA), a national service initiative promoting volunteer service on America's public lands. Since its original launch in 1985, TPIA now boasts over 400,000 volunteers, Clint Eastwood as national spokesman, and partnerships with national nonprofits, schools, and companies such as Toyota and Travelocity.
Prior to DOI, Loovis served at the White House for five-plus years on President George W. Bush's compassion agenda, first in the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and then at USA Freedom Corps, an office established to help Americans answer the President's Call to Service. While at the White House, Loovis served as the liaison to national service programs and initiatives; shaped national policies on disaster response, immigration, public administration, financial literacy, and global diplomacy; and authored executive orders and initiatives strengthening and expanding a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility throughout the country and abroad. Loovis also worked for Lipman Hearne, a strategic communications firm for nonprofits, serving clients such as the MacArthur Foundation, George Lucas Educational Foundation, and Brookings Institution.
Loovis is a lifelong volunteer. One of her most satisfying experiences was her service with the Inter-Faith Council Community Shelter (IFC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina during her undergraduate studies. Loovis established a homeless adult literacy and ESL program and then authored, “Developing an Effective Literacy Program for the Chapel Hill Homeless,” which earned her honors. Loovis also studied how nonprofit directors can increase staff job satisfaction, which resulted in her masters thesis: “Caring for the Caregiver: Best Practices for Preparing and Supporting Direct Services Staff in Licensed, Faith-Based, Residential Maternity Homes in North Carolina.”
A native of Baltimore, but a Tar Heel through and through, Loovis holds an MPA and BA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she Captained the University’s Varsity Women’s Lacrosse Team.
