Kathleen was born and raised in Nashville, TN, where she fell in love with dance at 2 years old. She spent her primary years enjoying tap and ballet classes, and loved performing on stage. 

By the time she was a teenager, Kathleen decided to further commit herself to dance by auditioning for the local competition team at DC Dance Factory. She trained under Stephanie and Daryl Campbell, and the entire DC Dance faculty until graduating in 2012. She was also a member of the Woodland Middle School and Ravenwood High School dance teams during that time. Kathleen devoted the year following graduation to assist classes at DC, helping her gain valuable knowledge and experience in teaching young dancers. 

In the summer of 2013, Kathleen moved to Los Angeles to pursue a role as apprentice to contemporary company, SoulEscape, which was directed by choreographer, Justin Giles. Her experience with SoulEscape played a pivotal role in the development of her teaching style, goals, and intention as a dancer and choreographer for the years that followed. 

Shortly after leaving Los Angeles, she attended the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, where she began a teaching role at Revolution Dance in the heart of Knoxville. While working to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication, Kathleen spent mornings and afternoons as a student, while evenings and weekends were devoted to the studio and competitions. This is where her love for teaching took flight. 

Upon graduating college, Kathleen returned to Nashville, where she found a home in ROOTS Academy. She has been a mentor at ROOTS for almost 4 years. Kathleen adores her students, and believes that ROOTS is a supportive environment for them to not only grow as dancers, but more importantly, as people. Her intention as a mentor at ROOTS is to help pinpoint the needs of each individual student and foster a space for their ultimate growth.