About Kate

A resident of Montgomery County for nearly 30 years, Kate Stewart and her husband Jon first moved to Takoma Park in 1995. They first rented a home on Philadelphia Avenue before moving into their current home, where they raised two children, Jamie and Bridget, both graduates of Montgomery Blair High School. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kate and Jon added a new member to the family, a rescue pup named Gracie.  

Kate won election to Montgomery County’s new Council District 4, representing Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Montgomery Hills, Kensington, Garrett Park, parts of Chevy Chase and North Bethesda in November 2022.  

Takoma Park voters elected Kate Mayor in 2015, after she won a special election to the Takoma Park City Council the previous year. During her tenure in Takoma Park City Hall, she led efforts to manage issues ranging from the COVID-19 crisis to local climate change mitigation to major and systemic underlying economic inequalities and racial injustices. Her record shows that effective government is the product of effective leadership.  

She led efforts in the City to:  

• Adopt a racial equity framework for City decision-making 
• Respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis to support residents and small businesses 
• Establish a strategic housing plan followed by on-the-ground programs to address housing affordability and increase home ownership
• Commit the City to sustainability goals and support key initiatives designed to achieve those goals 
• Push forward police and public safety reforms 

Kate is the incoming 2023 Chair of the Board of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), a regional organization with membership of 300 elected officials from 24 local governments in the DMV area, the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, and U.S. Congress. Prior to that, she served in separate positions as Vice-Chair of MWCOG and as Secretary-Treasurer; she chaired the MWCOG Taskforce to Develop Racial Equity Trainings for Regional Leaders, and served on the MWCOG Taskforce on D.C. Statehood. Kate also previously served as co-chair for the National League of Cities Racial Equity And Leadership Council (REAL), and on the board of the Mayors Innovation Project, a national organization of mayors. 

Prior to being elected to the Montgomery County Council, Kate served as a principal at ConwayStrategic, where she developed communications strategies to shape public opinion on reproductive rights. Previously, Kate was the Executive Vice President of Advocates for Youth, an organization that empowers young people to make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health while advocating for their rights. Earlier, Kate was a partner at a research and communications firm where she provided strategic advice to a range of progressive organizations. She received her BA from Haverford College, her MS from the University of Maryland, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at American University. 

About District 4