Kathleen is a native of Delaware County, Ohio and graduated from Big Walnut High School in 1986.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science from The Ohio State University in 1990, graduating cum laude, with Honors in the Liberal Arts and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society honorary.  She went on to receive her Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and was admitted to practice law in Ohio in 1993.

Since that time, Kathleen has been in private practice in the Central Ohio area, focusing on estate planning (wills, trusts, probate avoidance), probate of decedent’s estates throughout Ohio, real estate (commercial and residential transactions), and business law (business asset purchases, business formation, and succession planning).  Kathleen is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and the Ohio State Bar Association.

Kathleen is a Trusted Advisor in the probate and estate planning areas for SourcePoint (formerly Council for Older Adults) and is a member of the Sunbury/Big Walnut Area Chamber of Commerce.

Kathleen is very active in the community.  Her volunteer activities include membership on the Board of Directors of the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board from 2006 to present where she has served as Board Chair, Board Secretary, and currently serves on the Finance and Executive Committees, where she most recently actively participated in the search for a new Executive Director.  Kathleen has also been a member of the Board of Directors of The Ohio State University Alumnae Scholarship Housing Society (she was part of the OSU ASH program as a student) from 2011 to present where she serves as Advancement (Fundraising) Committee Chair.   She also serves on the Harlem Road United Methodist Church Endowment/Legacy Committee.

Kathleen and her husband, Richard Schnipke, reside in Harlem Township in Delaware County with their two children, Jonathan Schnipke and Lauren Schnipke, who both attend The Ohio State University.  She enjoys genealogy, gardening and raising livestock.