Katie Barrows
Southeast Area VP

Katie Barrows is a member of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU/IFPTE Local 70). She previously served as NPEU President from 2021 to 2022 and NPEU Vice President of Communications from 2019 to 2021.

Barrows has been published in Teen Vogue, The Hill, Bloomberg, The American Prospect, and many other publications discussing the importance of unions for nonprofit professionals.

Barrows is currently the Communications Director at the Department for Professional Employees (DPE), AFL-CIO. Previously, she worked in the communications department at a free speech nonprofit and as an outreach and research assistant for a congressional research company.

Barrows moved to Washington, D.C. in 2013 to pursue her career in progressive politics and causes after serving as a field organizer for Jay Inslee’s 2012 campaign for governor in Washington state. Building on her experiences interning in multiple district offices of Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Barrows' first role in Washington, D.C. was as an intern on Capitol Hill for Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR).

Barrows' interest in the labor movement came from both her family and her experiences working on Democratic campaigns. Her grandmother was the president of the Portland Association of Teachers and taught her the importance of a fair union contract. Barrows' mother is a librarian who was one of the founding members of her union. Additionally, working on political campaigns in Southwest Washington state, Barrows regularly worked alongside union members and learned about their workplace victories.

Barrows is a proud Pacific Northwest native and a graduate of the University of Washington.