Katherine Toy joined the California Natural Resources Agency in January 2022 as the Deputy Secretary for Access, leading the Agency’s efforts to expand equitable access to the public lands, museums and historic spaces operated and managed by the agency for all Californians. Katherine also serves as Agency’s key point of contact with the Department of Parks and Recreation to support the Department as it responds to emerging challenges and opportunities. Katherine’s deep belief in the ability of “everyday people to make history every day” has shaped her career. She has spent the last 30 years working to increase access, belonging and participation in public and civic spaces and institutions -- from teaching history to championing volunteer engagement, and most recently as Deputy CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Katherine’s knowledge and experience with state parks, history, and untold stories began when she became the first Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, championing the restoration and interpretation of the historic U.S. Immigration Station at Angel Island State Park. Five generations of Katherine’s family have called San Francisco home, and she is not the first in her family to be associated with the state’s natural resources work as her grandfather was a hydroelectric engineer who contributed to the design of the Oroville Dam. Katherine holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations and a Masters degree in Education, both from Stanford University. She is a former member of the State Parks and Recreation Commission and a current member of the National Advisory Board of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University.
