Kae has been at the College of Western Idaho since 2009. She received her degree from the University of Washington, having first earned an Associates Degree from a community college, and worked at three community colleges in Washington before returning to her home state of Idaho. Working in Student Services, and then within the Department of Education, she became the Dean of Math and Science in 2015. She is passionate about education, and loves the opportunity to tie her training and experience in the community college to her personal passion for the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, more commonly known as STEM. She is committed to expanding the awareness of and access to STEM education in Idaho. Kae works to support the creation of opportunities for students, faculty, industry, and the community to come together to make STEM real for students and not just textbook learning.
She is the mother of five children who range in age from elementary school to college, and she loves using everyday life activities to talk about the STEM we use all the time. Her kids know that math, for example, is something they use every day, she hopes that someday the math faculty she supports will stop hearing the question, "when will I ever use this?".