Kay A. Sterner is the Academic Professional Writer for the Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington. She also works as the Copy Editor for the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Prior to working at the Evans School, she was a Research Consultant for the Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington.
Outside of her work in academia, Sterner was a founder of Shunpike, a Seattle-based nonprofit that fuels innovation and leadership in the arts, and RIVET, a Seattle-based arts and culture magazine. She received her M.A. in International Studies from the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, in 2000 and her B.A., with honors, in Sociology from Minnesota State University, Moorhead in 1998. She attended the University of Portsmouth, UK in 1995–96 and the Université Paul-Valéry, France in 1997–98.