Kate Craig grew up both in Johnson City and Elizabethton, Tennessee. She is a graduate of Science Hill High School and East Tennessee State University. She attended both Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City and Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton. The Covered Bridge in Elizabethton is her favorite place in the district because as a child, her grandmother took her there to feed the ducks.
She got her start in politics during her senior year at ETSU where she organized a statewide student walkout and voter registration drive in response to budget cuts to higher education passed by the Tennessee Legislature in 2003.
After college, Kate worked for the Girl Scouts of the Appalachian Council, Inc., recruiting 18-29 year old female mentors for junior and senior level Girl Scouts. She then worked for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, working with food banks and soup kitchens to better serve those struggling with hunger.
From 2006 to 2016, Kate lived in Washington, D.C. where she worked as a government contractor for the Navy, supporting the Self Defense Test Ship. During this time she also earned a Master of Public Administration from American University. While she was earning her degree, she also earned a graduate certificate in Women, Policy, and Political Leadership and graduated the school's Campaign Management Institute.
While living in the nation's capital, Kate founded the Washington, D.C. chapter of Dykes on Bikes, launched and successfully ran her own photography business, as well as was a rower and coxswain for D.C. Strokes Rowing Club. She also regularly volunteered for organizations such as Running Start, EMILY's List, and the Anti-Defamation League.
On July 19, 2013, she was hit by a white, Lexus SUV while driving her motorcycle home from work. Over the course of several years, she underwent 15 surgeries. She had to relearn how to walk, learn how to be left-handed, and cope with chronic pain. Despite her doctor's original predictions, in June of 2020 she ran her first post-accident 5K.
Kate returned home to Johnson City in 2016 and immediately got involved. She served as a volunteer grant writer for the Washington County Animal Shelter before volunteering on campaigns. She served as a co-Chair for the Tri-Cities Women's March and has been a community organizer, helping candidates and issue campaigns.
In November of 2021, Kate successfully completed NaNoWriMo for the second time-- writing 50,000 words or more in a month. To date she has written 7 novels and is currently working on an autobiography focused on her recovery from the accident interwoven with tales of her own motorcycle adventures-- including riding East Tennessee's Tail of the Dragon.
Kate enjoys spending time with her fiancee, Kristin. They got engaged on April 8th of this year. Together, they have 4 cats and 1 dog.
