“It is with great pleasure that Soroptimist International announces the successful candidate for the position of SI Treasurer Elect. Kathy King, from SI of the Americas, has a variety of skills that will be an asset to the SI Treasurer’s position.  She has financial experience with all aspects of accounting, contract development and review, project management and a background in criminal justice. Kathy will follow Susanna Raccis as SI Treasurer on 1 January 2020.” International President Mariet Verhoef-Cohen.

Photo: Kathy King

In her professional life, Kathy recently retired as an administrative assistant at Sky Lakes Medical Center. In the twenty years she worked there, she was assistant to five Vice Presidents of this 178-bed licensed acute care hospital, among them the Chief Financial Officer and the Legal Counsel. As a volunteer, she has not only had a huge career as a Soroptimist member for 30 years, also serving as an elected member of the Klamath Community College Board of Education (2015-2019) and as a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary and of the Order of Eastern Star.

Photo: Kathy and husband Al

Kathy says: “I began my Soroptimist leadership journey in Soroptimist International of Davis, CA where I was a member for nine years. After I joined Soroptimist International, I told my husband Al, that I would move anywhere in the world with him, but he needed to be sure there was a Soroptimist club nearby!  That was my only request. So, in 1998, when we bought an 80-acre ranch in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where we raised beef cattle and hay, he made sure there was a Soroptimist club there.  We’ve been married for 42 years and have one adult daughter who resides in California.  My husband has been very supportive of my leadership roles and encouraged me to apply for the SI Treasurer’s position. While we do not plan to move from Klamath Falls, if we did, I would go anywhere now and would work to start a club if there wasn’t one nearby.

Photo: Gigie Penalosa pins Kathy as Secty Treas of SIA

When I moved to Oregon, I was serving the club in Davis as President-elect, and had served in other board positions.  I transferred my membership upon moving to Soroptimist International of Klamath Falls.  This was a community in which I didn’t know anyone and we had no family nearby, yet I immediately had 100 friends (yes, the club was very large at that time) who were willing to help me assimilate into a new community!  I took on several board positions before becoming President-elect and then club President.  During our clubs’ official visit of our District Director, she mentioned to me that I should consider running for a District Office, so I did, and was elected as District Secretary for the following biennium.  Since then, I have served as District Director, Region Governor-elect and Region Governor for Northwestern Region in Soroptimist International of the Americas. In 2016 I was elected to serve on the SIA board of Directors for the 2016-2018 biennium, and served as SIA’s Secretary/Treasurer for 2017-2018.

Photo: July 2018, 2017-2018 SIA Board of Directors. Kathy King front left.

The journey has been exciting and I’ve learned so much from and about our members and our organization. I am excited to continue to serve our organization as SI Treasurer 2020-2021.

I pledge to do the best of my ability to keep close track of our finances, keeping the board apprised, so that our organization continues to remain financially strong and thereby able to continue with our mission of transforming the lives and status of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities.”

Kathy King