Katrina Pierson
| Katrina Pierson | |
|---|---|
Pierson in 2011
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| Born |
Katrina Lanette Shaddix July 20, 1976 Kansas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Political party | Republican |
Katrina Lanette Pierson (née Shaddix; born July 20, 1976) is an American Tea Party activist and communications consultant. Since November 2015, she has been the national spokesperson for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign, and a regular CNN contributor.
Pierson was born in Kansas, to a white mother and a black father. Her mother, who gave birth to her at age 15, initially gave her up for adoption, but later changed her mind. She grew up with her mother, in poverty.
In 1997, at the age of 20, Pierson was arrested for shoplifting, to which she pleaded no contest, received deferred adjudication, and, ultimately, a dismissal with the case sealed. She reportedly took $168 in merchandise from a J. C. Penney store in Plano, Texas, and had her then three-month old son with her at the time of the incident. Pierson told authorities she needed the clothes for job interviews. She has said that the incident helped her turn her life around, showing her that mistakes often come with consequences.
Pierson received an associate of science degree from Kilgore College. In 2006, she earned a bachelors in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Pierson worked for InVentiv Health in 2008; the Baylor Health Care System from July 2009 to August 2011, as a practice administrator; for ASG Software Solutions, as the director of corporate affairs, from May 2011 to December 2012; and then in a variety of jobs until being hired by the Trump campaign, in November 2015. In 2013, she received $11,000 in unemployment benefits from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Pierson had a three-month-long marriage at a young age that gave her a son. She and her son reside in Garland, Texas.
Pierson voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, and has listed Malcolm X as her political idol, stating that Martin Luther King, Jr. was "too moderate".
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