About

Aloha, I’m Kate 🌺

I was born in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. when I was four. I’ve rooted my soul in San Diego, Oahu, and now an island in Washington State. I have a deep thirst for knowledge and adventure, and that curiosity shapes how I think and act. It’s what pushes me to see design problems in unconventional ways. With AI, I’m finally at the stage where I can bring my own ideas to life, and I’m having so much fun.

When I’m not designing and building, you can find me:

  • checking books off my 2026 reading goal
  • researching places to swim with sharks
  • improving my portrait and everyday life photography skills

Thanks for checking out my portfolio. If you ever want to chat about design, AI, books, sharks, life, etc., I’d love to learn from you!

In the wild:

Kate at Figma's Config conference.
Went to Config once!
Kate presenting CivicLink at the Lovable hackathon.
Lovable hackathon, placed 5th
A green glass goblet on display at the Tacoma Art Museum.
Snapping pics at Tacoma Art Museum
Kate casting a fishing line from a beach at sunset.
In my natural element, fishing on the beach
Three members of the Code the Dream design team beside a whiteboard.
CTD Design Team offsite
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Kate at Figma's Config conference.

Went to Config once!

Roles

  1. Design LeadCode the Dream | NonprofitFeb 2023 – Present

    Leads design across three product teams. Designs and builds interactive design systems for each project, mentors junior designers, and integrates AI into the design workflow.

    • Design Systems
    • Team Leadership
    • Mentorship
    • AI Integration
  2. Senior UX DesignerTecolote Research | Defense ContractorDec 2022 – Jan 2026

    Led design of a conversational AI tool for DoD acquisition analysts, cutting analysis time 30% with 90% user acceptance. Redesigned two complex, data-heavy software applications. Built the org's first design system.

    • AI/UX
    • Prompt Engineering
    • AI Trust Design
  3. UX/QA ManagerTomorrow Ideas | B2B SaaS, acquired in 2022Feb 2019 – Oct 2022

    Led cross-functional teams at a fast-growing B2B SaaS startup. Cut support tickets 25%, lifted conversion 10%, and shortened dev cycles 30%.

    • B2B SaaS
    • Cross-Functional Leadership
    • QA
  4. Pre-K Teacher / UX DesignerThe Exploration Academy | Early Childhood EducationSep 2014 – Nov 2018

    Designed an employee portal that cut teacher planning time 20% and built adaptive early-learning experiences for diverse students.

    • Early Childhood Education
    • Portal Design

Education

  • UX Design BootcampGeneral Assembly2016 – 2017
  • Software DevelopmentCode Fellows2016
  • B.A. Political ScienceSeattle University2004 – 2008