Born at Noble Hospital and raised in Westfield, Kristen graduated from Westfield High School in 1991. She earned a BS in Chemistry (cum laude) from UMass Amherst and an MSc in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Delaware, focusing on chemometrics and multivariate data analysis methods. Her research into self-organizing hybrid classification expert systems resulted in professional presentations, peer-reviewed international publication, and Inventor credit with assignee rights on a U.S. Patent. She served as a Senior Scientist in Arizona, working on non-invasive glucose monitoring, before returning to Westfield to eventually become an advocate for her community.

Kristen co-founded WRAFT (Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves) in 2017 to confront PFAS contamination in local water. As WRAFT director, she helped organize resident-led research, lobby local and state officials, and secure PFAS blood testing in a 2019 PFAS Exposure Assessment conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) a sister agency to the US EPA. Her science-based, data-driven leadership transformed public awareness and policy around water safety in Westfield.

Kristen’s decision to run for office in 2019 came after residents demanded leadership and transparency in response to PFAS concerns—and after witnessing government officials walk out during resident testimony at the ATSDR community meeting in July. She vowed then: “When residents want me to speak up from a seat on the City Council, I won’t say no,” and she hasn’t. Independently elected in November 2019, re-elected in 2021 and 2023, she pledged her loyalty to Westfield residents over special interests and purpose over party.

She chairs the Council’s Natural Resources Committee and serves on the Government Relations Committee, while acting as the Council liaison to historic preservation and landfill/recycling operations. Her leadership emphasizes community engagement, honest dialogue, fiscal discipline, and environmental protection.