Katie Hernandez is the director of talent for Brillante Academy. Inspired by her grandmother, who was a kindergarten teacher in Cuba, her love for learning and education began at a young age.  Post college, Katie entered the classroom herself as a middle school special education teacher by way of Teach For America. After teaching, she did a brief stint at Goldman Sachs where she sharpened her data and analytical skills before returning to education. Prior to joining the Seton Team, Katie spent 12 years on Teach For America staff and is grateful for the people and opportunities that helped her grow her leadership.  During her time there, she led data collection efforts for large-scale research studies on teacher effectiveness, hired thousands of staff members to support corps member development during Pre-Service, and co-designed and scaled an org-wide performance management experience called Elevate. Katie is passionate about creating workplace cultures that enable every team member to thrive and use their many God-given talents to make an impact; she feels blessed that she is now able to apply this passion and her experiences to Seton’s mission that is transforming lives. Katie holds bachelor of science degrees in accounting and marketing and a master’s degree in special education from Arizona State University. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son.