Katherine Haley is a speaker, researcher, advocate, and social worker whose work sits at the intersection of lived experience and social change. Drawing on her own experiences with addiction and recovery, disability, poverty, grief, and justice-system involvement, Katherine challenges audiences to rethink what expertise looks like — and whose voices belong at the table.

A first-generation college graduate, Katherine earned her degree from Brown University and is completing her Master of Social Work at the University of Connecticut, where her work focuses on research, accessibility, human rights, and systems change. Her professional experience spans recovery support, disability advocacy, higher education, and community-based research.

What sets her apart is range: she has been at every level of the issues she speaks on — the lived experience, the direct practice, and the research. That lets her name what a population actually needs and work alongside organizations to design solutions to the problems that keep coming up.

Through storytelling, research, and practical insight, Katherine helps audiences explore resilience, belonging, leadership, and the power of turning lived experience into meaningful action.