Kirsten is the Native Affairs Outreach Director in the U.S. Senate under Minnesota Senator Tina Smith. In this role, she designs and implements state-wide outreach plans to build strong relationships with stakeholders such as tribal governments, tribal programs, and urban Native-led organizations. Additionally, she advocates for intersectional federal policy change targeted at tribal sovereignty and trust responsibilities, and oversees appropriate and inclusive messaging directed towards Native American communities. Prior to this role, she worked in various levels of government and non-profit spaces in child welfare.
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Theology and History, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. JD Candidate (3L), Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN. Through her studies, Kirsten is a certified Family Mediator and certified student attorney that has represented families in child protection proceedings and currently works on expungements with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. She also belongs to the National Arab American Bar Association, Minnesota American Indian Bar Association, and Minnesota Women Lawyers. She is also on the Minnesota Justice Foundation Public Interest Legal Foundation Board.
Community: Kirsten Serves on the board of the Minnesota Children’s Alliance, an organization committed to developing, growing and promoting Minnesota’s Children’s Advocacy Centers. She also serves on the board of the American Indian Family Center, a non-profit that provides American Indian families with programs and services enriched by traditional American Indian values and culture.
Personal: Kirsten was born and raised in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul, attended Johnson Senior High School and was actively involved in multiple community activities such as hockey and softball growing up. The Midway Mens Club helped to fund her teams, which is why she wanted to give back and has been an active member for 9 years.
Kirsten is married to husband, Kyle. They share a 4 year old, Joseph, and Cattle Dog, Dakota.