An Interview with Katie Claflin

January 2, 2015 | by Michael Wilt

Categories: Affordable Housing

Have you ever wondered who writes TSAHC's weekly blog posts?  This week marks the fifth month we have been publishing the On the House blog, so for this week's post, we have interviewed* Katie Claflin, the staff person behind the blog.

1. Tell us about yourself.
I was born in Kansas City, but my family moved to Denton, Texas (just north of Dallas) when I was just six months old.  After graduating from high school in Denton, I moved to Conway, Arkansas to major in History at Hendrix College. 

I moved to Austin shortly after graduating from college to get my master’s degree at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT.  I currently live in north-central Austin with my husband and our cat Squiggy, and we hope to buy a house this year. In my free time I volunteer as a scholarship mentor, helping high school students and adult students apply for college scholarships.

2. What do you do at TSAHC and how long have you been at TSAHC?
I’ve been working at TSAHC since June of 2008 (about six and a half years). My primary job is to help raise private funding to grow TSAHC’s programs, but through the years my job has expanded to include other communications responsibilities as well.  Because of my experience with grant applications, I also administer TSAHC’s Texas Foundations Fund program.

3. What do you enjoy most about your job?
There are several things I enjoy about my job, but #1 on my list is definitely the people. We’re a small, close-knit staff with very little turnover, and we’ve become like family to each other. I also enjoy writing about our programs, and I value the relationships I've built with our funders and the other nonprofits we partner with.

4. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy traveling, singing karaoke, and testing out new restaurants, but my favorite past-time by far is reading.  While I’ll read just about anything, I particularly enjoy historical fiction (to feed my interest in history) and memoirs. I also belong to two different book clubs, which introduces me to new books and authors on a regular basis.

5. If you could do something else for a living, what would it be?
My dream job would be anything that allows me to read books for a living. I don’t have the creativity to write my own book, but I’d love to work as an editor or a publisher.  I’ve also considered creating a blog to discuss the books I'm reading, but I haven't quite figured out how to turn that into a full-time job.

6. What’s the best vacation you ever took?
In June 2013, I took a week-long road trip across Ireland with my then-boyfriend (now husband) and his family.  Ireland was a beautiful country, filled with friendly people, breathtaking scenery, and (mostly) delicious food. And I didn’t know it when we were planning the trip, but my boyfriend proposed right before we left for the airport, turning our family vacation into an engagement celebration.

7. Anything else you want to share with us?
Working on this blog has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of various housing issues, and I really appreciate the feedback that we’ve received so far.  If you have any questions or suggestions for the blog, please don’t hesitate to email me directly.

*Interview conducted by Janie Taylor

---

On the House blog posts are meant to provide general information on various housing-related issues, research and programs. We are not liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the information provided by blog sources. Furthermore, this blog is not legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney.