Kristi was born in Michigan, but moved to Prescott just before middle school, which she thinks makes her almost as close to a Prescott native as you can get without actually being one. After graduating from Prescott High School, she attended the University of Arizona (Bear Down!), graduating with a degree in anthropology and classics, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. At UA, she was also involved in and a student leader for Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ), an organization she still supports by way of her sister and brother-in-law, who are staff members. Since graduation, she has worked and volunteered in several nonprofit roles, including as an office assistant at the Christian Academy of Prescott until its closure. She also has received training as a paralegal.
Kristi was blessed to be raised in a Christian home, guided by parents and grandparents who love and follow Jesus. She came to know Jesus at a young age at Vacation Bible School one summer and over the years, that faith grew from an expected obligation to a personal choice; it has also sustained her as it has deepened and grown. She seeks to follow the advice of one of her favorite authors, Robin Jones Gunn: “We are made to love God and serve people. If you start to focus on just serving God, then pretty soon, you run out of love for people… You love God. I know that. Now, I think you will be able to love him even better if you can stop trying to make God proud of you.”
In her free time, Kristi enjoys reading, embroidery and other crafts, watching sports (especially hockey), collecting anything Dutch, studying languages, and spending time with family.
