It’s one of those stories you just can’t make up. Kristen Browde had a long career as an Emmy award winning journalist, including a 17 year stint as a correspondent and anchor at CBS News, during which time she also attended law school, founded her own law firm, became a Trustee of a $3 billion dollar pension fund, had two children and moved from New York City to Chappaqua, New York. But in April 2016, in an appearance at New York City’s largest media and political charity event, the Inner Circle Dinner, when Kristen came out as transgender, her visibility and activism moved t to an entirely new level, concentrating both in politics and law. Kristen worked on the Clinton campaign and in the effort to overturn North Carolina’s infamous bathroom bill known as HB2, then she became first (and to this date, only) transgender person in New York State to run for office with the endorsement of a major political party. Kristen was endorsed by the Democrats, the Working Families Party and the Women’s Equality Party, losing narrowly to a Republican incumbent. She also ran, unsuccessfully, for the New York State Assembly, coming in second by a small margin in the five way 2020 Democratic Primary in Westchester. Weeks later she was elected Vice Chair of the Westchester County Democratic Committee. Kristen would be the first to tell you that she never expected to become active in publicly working for social change. During her journalism career she’d covered wars overseas, the Pentagon, the Supreme Court. During that career she won multiple Emmys and other awards, including, being a member of a team at WNBC‐TV that all the way back in 1994 won a GLAAD Media Award for covering LGBT issues, a full 22 years before she came out.
In Chappaqua, Kristen was one of the initial appointees to the Town of New Castle Ethics Board, where she was named Secretary. She also served on the Chappaqua School System’s Financial Advisory Board. “Decisions are made by those in the room,” she says, “so it’s important that we fill those rooms, that we become the change that we need, building from the Town level up, and taking back our government. And even though I lost my race, and even though we’re fighting against unprecedented and escalating bigotry from the Trump administration, I’m not tired at all. In fact, I’m just getting warmed up. We’ve got work to do.” Those words have been translated into action. Kristen is now co‐chair of the National Trans Bar Association. She is the immediate past President of the Board of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Kristen to the Steering Committee of the New York State Council on Women and Girls, and, after serving on his transition Team, Westchester County Executive George Latimer appointed Kristen to the County’s Women’s Advisory Board. Kristen’s private legal practice focuses on Matrimonial and Family Law, as well as civil litigation. Kristen also serves on the Board of Planned Parenthood’s local Political Action Committee and the Chappaqua‐Millwood Chamber of Commerce. Education: Fordham University School of Law; Cornell University. Kristen is divorced and has two children.