Catherine Barker became the Administrative Hearing Officer in 2025. She grew up in Derby, Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas and graduated in 1998 with a degree in Biology. She graduated from the University of Kansas, School of Law in 2001. She worked in private practice as a family law attorney in Portland, Oregon and Lawrence, Kansas between 2001 - 2022. From 2022 - 2025, she worked for Maximus as a IV-D attorney, establishing paternity and child support in Shawnee County and Sedgwick County. She is a member of the Topeka Bar Association, Oregon Bar Association, and the Kansas Bar Association. She is married and has two children.