Join AWB at Water Works by Cescaphe this fall to celebrate our 10th honoree, Katie Samson.

Katie Samson advocates for disability and intersectional justice in many spaces. She caught the theater bug and developed a love of art at an early age. Her combined passions drives her to cultivate these experiences with underrepresented communities. Katie grew up in Wayne, PA and graduated from Radnor High School. She earned her BA in Art History and Anthropology from Middlebury College and her MA in Art History/Visual Culture and Museum Studies Certificate from the University of Arizona. For nineteen years, Katie was the Spokesperson for the Katie Samson Foundation, and the Annual KSF Lacrosse Festival which was a foundation and fundraiser to support quality of life programs for people with spinal cord injury. After working in museum education for twelve years, Katie turned to arts service and advocacy at Art-Reach where she worked with a team of disability leaders in Philadelphia to make the arts more accessible for people with disabilities. In September 2024, Katie joined Chax Training and Consulting to expand her knowledge and skills with digital accessibility. Katie continues to advise organizations on inclusive design, grant making, and disability rights. She serves on the Board of Directors for World CAFÉ Live and Team Sunshine Performance Corporation. She is a Peer Mentor with Empower SCI and 2021, Katie founded a disabled birding group through the Pennsylvania Center for Adaptive Sports. For Katie, this recognition is humbling and she is thrilled to celebrate this chapter with the AWB community.