Kyrsten Sinema

Kyrsten Sinema was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1976 and has lived in Phoenix since 1995. She was first elected to the State Legislature in 2004, and in 2006 was re-elected to continue serving central Phoenix in District 15.

Kyrsten holds a juris doctorate and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. Kyrsten is an adjunct professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University and practices criminal defense law in the Phoenix community. She also works for the Center for Progressive Leadership, teaching tomorrow’s political leaders about leadership and the political process.

Prior to her work at the Legislature, Kyrsten was a social worker in the Washington School District. She created and directed the Sunnyslope community’s first Family Resource Center. She focused on community development, adult and community education, grant writing and administration, and advocacy for low-income, minority, refugee, and undocumented families.

Kyrsten is actively involved in the community, serving as the Board President for COAR (Community Outreach and Advocacy for Refugees), Board Member of the National Young Elected Officials’ Network, Board Member of the Progressive Democrats of American, Board Member of Girls for a Change, Advisory Board Member for the Arizona Death Penalty Forum, Board Member of the Center for Progressive Leadership, and a member of the Governor’s Commission to Prevent Violence Against Women. Recently, she served as the Chair of Arizona Together, the first campaign to defeat a same-sex marriage ban on the ballot.

Kyrsten is dedicated to serving the community, focusing on advocating for disadvantaged and oppressed populations, environmental justice, and social justice.