Posted: August 27, 2026
Alumna helps shape the future of Pennsylvania agriculture
Katie McLaughlin. Photo: Courtesy Katie McLaughlin
When Katie McLaughlin sits at her desk in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Transformation and Opportunity, she brings with her a lifelong connection to agriculture and lessons shaped by her experiences in the college.
The office is dedicated to making Pennsylvania a more competitive place to do business. As agriculture coordinator, McLaughlin supports farms and businesses that need access to state resources. She also partners with the Department of Agriculture for cross-agency collaboration.
Growing up in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, McLaughlin said her family’s farm sparked her passion for the industry, and her dad’s Penn State master’s degree made the University feel like home. She showed livestock in 4-H, building the roots that led her to earn an Agricultural Science degree with a minor in International Agriculture.
“I only applied to Penn State,” she said. “I didn’t always know what that end goal might be, but an important moment for me was serving as a Pennsylvania State FFA officer. During that year of service, we worked closely at times with the College of Agricultural Sciences, and it solidified that Penn State was the right move for me.”
Once on campus, McLaughlin said, the college helped her connect all her interests, opening her eyes to opportunities within the agricultural industry.
Advising, coursework, and an array of minors helped her explore that path, she explained, while the International Agriculture minor still shapes how she approaches her work. Now, in her current role, McLaughlin said those lessons continue to connect her back to Penn State.
She said she feels fortunate to still work with people in the college on shared initiatives, meeting regularly because of the natural partnership that comes from Penn State being the commonwealth’s land-grant institution for agriculture.
And for McLaughlin, that work is deeply personal. “Agriculture is one of my passions because realistically, it should reach everyone, every day,” she said. “It’s an industry that connects people and families and brings others together.”
—Mikayla Bowen
Latest Issue
