Katie Garcia

Nov 20, 2018   |  By Ashleigh Fryer , Tulsa, Oklahoma

“When I first walked into CEO, I’d only been out of prison for three days. They put me on a work crew and I remember I had to find a pair of steel-toe boots that were my size—size 2—which wasn’t easy … I was only on crew for two weeks, but those $40 a day were the first paychecks I’d received in seven years, and it was a great feeling to know I’d earned every dollar. My job coach placed me in a restaurant in town and I’ve been here ever since. I started from the bottom as a cook, then I became a host, then a server, then I got some bar experience. Now I’m the general manager and administrative assistant to the owners. If it hadn’t been for CEO, I wouldn’t be sitting right here today. Without CEO, I wouldn’t have even known where to start.”