Staff
Katherine Townsend Kiernan is a research analyst II for community and economic development within the Atlanta Fed's Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity (CWEO). Kiernan supports the center through research, place-based engagement, and communication. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy from Oglethorpe University and a master's degree in economics from Georgia State University. Working with Oglethorpe's Center for Civic Engagement, she connected students to the Atlanta community through service and education. While earning her graduate degree, Kiernan worked for the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ Center for State and Local Finance and Fiscal Research Center. There, she coauthored reports on education finance, transparency in state finance, and local tax expenditures. Kiernan has held research positions at the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts and the commercial real estate firm Lincoln Property Company.
Articles
Katherine Townsend Kiernan. "CDFIs Expand Access to Workforce Development Training." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Partners Update (July 29, 2022).
Nisha Sutaria, Katherine Townsend Kiernan, and Sarah Miller. “Partnerships between Community Development Financial Institutions and Workforce Development Organizations.” Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Discussion Papers (July 12, 2022).
Katherine Townsend Kiernan and Sarah Miller. "Emerging Themes from Workforce Development Month 2021." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Workforce Currents (October 6, 2021).
Katherine Townsend Kiernan and Sarah Miller. "The Importance of Addressing Long-Term Unemployment for Economic Recovery." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Workforce Currents (August 5, 2021).
Katherine Townsend Kiernan. "Challenges in Today’s Unemployment Insurance System." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Workforce Currents (April 7, 2021).
Stuart Andreason and Katherine Townsend Kiernan. "Who Has COVID-19 Impacted and What’s Been Done to Help?" Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Workforce Currents (December 2020).
Stuart Andreason, Sarah Miller, and Katherine Townsend Kiernan. "Talent Finance: Exploring the Future of Workforce Partnerships." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Workforce Currents (September 2020).
Sarah Miller and Katherine Townsend Kiernan. "Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and Wage Replacement Rates." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Workforce Currents (July 2020).
Special Publications
Katherine Townsend Kiernan, Benjamin Horowitz, and Brittany Birken. "Childcare Affordability Affects Labor Market and Family Choices." Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (January 12, 2022).
Katherine Townsend Kiernan and Community and Economic Development, Early Care and Education Work Group. "Considerations in Deploying ARPA Funds for Childcare." Federal Reserve System (July 16, 2021).