Vera Institute of Justice

Kate Kahan was the director of federal policy at Vera.

Kate has spent over two decades building political power and strengthening the progressive movement as an advocate for racial and economic justice at the local, state, and federal levels. Kate got involved in activism as a single mom on welfare years ago and led a welfare rights organization as well as a feminist activist organization before moving to DC to work on the Senate Finance Committee on low-income issues, childcare, child welfare, unemployment insurance, and tribal affairs. Kate was the director of work and family programs for the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she advanced paid leave and paid sick days policies at the local, state, and federal levels. Kate was most recently the legislative and advocacy director for Community Change, where she spent 13 years building political power through grassroots organizing, working on immigrant rights, economic justice, and racial and gender equity, and building capacity in the social justice movement.