Kristine Monic Reeves (born February 18, 1981) is an American politician who serves as a member of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

from the 30th district. She was initially elected in 2016 but resigned before finishing her term to run for

Washington's 10th congressional district Washington's 10th congressional district is a congressional district in western Washington (U. S. state), Washington. The district is centered on the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and includes portions of Thurston County, Washingto ...

in the 2020 election; she ultimately placed third in the blanket primary. In 2022 she ran for her previously held state legislative seat when her appointed successor chose not to seek re-election. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Reeves was born in

Moses Lake, Washington Moses Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Moses Lake is the most populous city in Grant County. The city anchors the Moses Lake Micropolitan area, w ...

. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in political science from

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in organizational leadership from

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

. She is currently a candidate in Seattle Pacific University's industrial-organizational psychology Ph.D. program

Career

Reeves is also a former regional outreach director for

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Patty Murray Patricia Lynn Murray (, October 11, 1950) is an American politician serving in her sixth term as a United States senator from Washington (state), Washington, beginning her tenure in 1993, and is the state's Seniority in the United States Senate, ...

, as well as a program coordinator for

Spokane Community College Spokane Community College is a Public college, public community college in Spokane, Washington. It is part of the Community Colleges of Spokane and was established in 1963. Academics SCC offers associate degree, bachelor's degrees, and certif ...

. Since 2013, Reeves has worked as Director of the Military and Defense Sector within the Washington State Department of Commerce. Reeves ran for the

Washington State House The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 dis ...

in 2016, defeating Republican Teri Hickel with 51 percent of the vote. Reeves was a member of the Capital Budget and Community Development, Housing and Tribal Affairs, as well as the vice chair of the Business and Financial Services Committee. Reeves announced on December 16, 2019, that she would be resigning her seat in the state house effective at noon that same day. Her announcement and an e-mail from her political consultant led some to believe she would be running for

in the 2020 election. She formally announced her campaign on January 6, 2020. Reeves finished in third place, behind former Tacoma mayor

Marilyn Strickland Marilyn Strickland (born September 25, 1962) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital of Olympia, and also includes much of eastern Taco ...

and State Rep. Beth Doglio. Reeves is executive director of the Washington Military Alliance. As Director of Economic Development for the Military and Defense sector, she focuses on economic development relating to military infrastructure, suppliers and contractors, as well as community advocacy and public infrastructure organizations. In 2024, after re-assuming office, Reeves was selected for the Future Caucus Innovation Fellowship as a member of the Strengthening Democracy cohort, a program designed for young lawmakers committed to building effective democracy reforms.

Personal life

Reeves lives in

Federal Way, Washington Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Feder ...

with her family, including two children.

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Kristine 1981 births African-American state legislators in Washington (state) Living people Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature 20th-century African-American politicians Women state legislators in Washington (state) Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections Washington State University alumni 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians