Kate Tompkins

Kate grew up in Gainesville, Florida, and began working at her local public library in high school. She dreamt of working in broadcast journalism and was on her middle and high school news crews. She attended the University of Florida initially as a telecommunications major but soon found that journalism was a better fit for her. She loved her photography and graphic design classes the most. She received her undergraduate degree in journalism with a focus in editing, but she decided upon graduation to pursue her master's in library and information science because she enjoyed her time working at the library so much. She moved to St. Augustine, Florida, in 2010 and spent the next 13 years working for the St. Johns County School District as a school librarian. She and her husband relocated to North Carolina in the summer of 2023 in hopes of cooler weather and less hurricanes. When Kate saw the Park Library director position, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine her background in journalism with her passion for libraries. She is thrilled and honored to be a part of the UNC Hussman community.