Since graduating from Cook College in 1992, Katie Applegate Bobowski has lived with her family in seven states – Oregon, Utah, Maryland, Arizona, Montana, Colorado and, since 2016, Alaska.
Katie Applegate Bobowski (CC’92).
In each place she’s lived, Katie’s grassroots commitment to community and to environmental education has been steadfast throughout, particularly those organizations that invest in youth and their futures. She’s held leadership roles in organizations like Boy Scouts of America and Colorado 4-H Club, where she was founding leader, in addition to board membership on multiple community organizations.
Katie has been recognized by the communities in which she’s lived and worked, including being honored with the 2022 Advocates for Victims of Violence Woman of Distinction Award and the Bette Maxine Cato Inspirational Award for being an inspiration and role model to others.
As her children have grown, she has increasingly engaged in career activities that have had immediate impacts as recognized by the University of Alaska’s 2022 Chancellor Choice Award for Opportunity Creation, in recognition for her outstanding contributions that led to the creation of the Environmental Science for Teachers course, a teachers’ summer program, and a new Natural Resource Technician Occupational Endorsement Certificate program.
Katie’s dedication to service and her ability to inspire others at the grassroots level have been recognized by her alma mater. In April, Katie was recognized with a 2025 George Hammell Cook Distinguished Alumni Award from the Cook Community Alumni Association. This coveted award is presented to the school’s undergraduate alumni who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in academic, career or volunteer work.
Her roots at Rutgers are incredibly strong. Her father is the late Jim “Doc” Applegate (AG’64), who played an important role in the formation of Cook College. Katie met her husband, Ben Bobowski (CC ’91), at Cook College. Since 2016, Ben has been the superintendent of Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, part of the National Park Service, in south central Alaska.
She graduated from Rutgers with highest honors with a bachelor’s degree as an environmental science major with minors in natural resource management and animal science, along with teaching certificates in general science and agriculture.
After Rutgers, Katie pursued opportunities in environmental education, contributing in multiple ways and in various roles that emphasize science, nature and community development. She added two master’s degrees, with honors, to her list of academic credentials, both from Slippery Rock University – a public university in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Katie is currently the Administrative Manager of the Copper Basin Extension Center of Prince William Sound College, a community campus of the University of Alaska, Anchorage, where she has dedicated her time since 2017. She’s passionate about place-based education for undergraduates that harnesses the power of traditional knowledge in tandem with western science and helped to develop professional development courses for Alaska’s K-12 teachers.
As her children have grown, she has increasingly engaged in career activities that have had immediate impacts as recognized by the University of Alaska’s 2022 Chancellor Choice Award for Opportunity Creation, in recognition for her outstanding contributions that led to the creation of the Environmental Science for Teachers course, a teachers’ summer program, and a new Natural Resource Technician Occupational Endorsement Certificate program.
