Ever since Katie was a kid, she's been bringing people together to play. Whether it was neighborhood kids for a game of statues in the front yard when she was growing up, her extended family for marathon card games or, now, consumer families enjoying a puzzle made for all levels.

Katie began her career in the cookie business, where she spent almost 20 years growing Cookie Bouquet / Cookies by Design from a shoppe in Dallas to a franchise chain of 300+ shoppes in 45 states. Along this journey, Katie learned the key elements of growing a creative idea into a profitable, scalable business.

As a young mom, Katie realized the importance of education and how play connects learning, relationship-building and well-being. She dove into research at the Texas Schools Project, created family learning opportunities as the executive director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center, and engaged in child/teen development and well-being as a school board trustee with the Richardson Independent School District.

Today, Katie leads much of the Kids & Family work at BDA, a global merchandise agency. Combining her experience in product development, research, child development and family learning, Katie helps steward engaging product concepts into retail products and premiums that bring people together through playful engagement.