MEET
DR KRISTIN HOOK.
Native Texan. Award-Winning Scientist. Changemaker.
"I'm a native Texan
and come from a
long line of strong
women."
“Being raised by a single mom who never went to college, I proudly became the first in my family to earn a PhD.”
"Education changed my life. It became more than a way out for me, it became a way to give back."
"I have the policy and leadership experience for this position, but most importantly, I have the passion."
"I strongly believe that our government can be a powerful force for good for all working families."
WHERE I COME FROM.
Growing up in a mixed family in South Texas, I have witnessed the disparities in opportunities given to Hispanic and White working class-families like my own. I watched my family work hard but still struggle living paycheck to paycheck. With the help of student loans, scholarships, and Pell grants, I earned two degrees from UT-Austin in 2007. While in college, I discovered my passion for biology, even though I had never known a scientist growing up.
After graduating from college, I joined Teach For America to help address the educational inequities in our country that I personally experienced based on my zip code. I spent three years serving our country as a middle school science teacher in an underserved community in NYC before attending graduate school.
A THRIVING CAREER.
In 2016, I earned my PhD in Animal Behavior from Cornell University and moved to the DC area to deepen my expertise in reproductive biology as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland.
I watched in despair as the Trump administration attacked science, women, marginalized communities, and our democracy. I wore my lab coat by day and became a volunteer grassroots organizer for women scientists by night. When the pandemic hit, I realized I wasn’t making the impact in the lab that I wanted to and left the lab to become a public servant in our federal government.
I spent several years as a science and tech expert but worked on a wide variety of policy issues while serving in the U.S. Senate (Elizabeth Warren), National Institutes of Health, and Government Accountability Office. While at the GAO, I helped make sure our taxpayer dollars are used wisely and effectively and educated Congress on emerging science and tech issues. That is if they want to be educated.
Having learned to value differences from a young age, I am running for Congress to bring sensible leadership and compromise back to government to make sure that it works for ALL OF US. We deserve leaders who care about public service. I see a better Texas on the horizon, and I hope you’ll join me in getting us there.