Kato is a past president of Etheridge Knight Inc. and Brick Street Poetry — organizations that sponsor literary events, readings, contests and publications — He’s also a cofounder and curator of Poetry in Free Motion, a project that combined quilting and poetry.

As a member of the Indiana Writers Center, he was a participant, then moderator, of the Poetry Salon, which encouraged poets to improve their writing and critique skills. He also served for six years as poetry editor of Flying Island online literary journal.