Katharine Schwer is the Director of People & Culture. She has 12 years of experience working in non-profit organizations and 9 years of experience working in Human Resources and non-profit management. Ms. Schwer specializes in employee relations, conflict resolution, payroll & benefits, and HR strategy. In addition to her experience in the field, she brings her legal background to XPRIZE – she has a J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law and is a member of the Illinois bar.

Prior to XPRIZE, Katharine served as the Director of Human Resources for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, an organization providing vital support to the public libraries of Los Angeles. She also spent several years in different roles at the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago, a non-profit that offers free mediation. Ms. Schwer is a certified mediator and mediation trainer. She has been living in Los Angeles for over 7 years and spends most of her free time with her husband and her son. They love to travel together and are happiest when spending time outdoors, ideally at a National Park.