Meet Katie Fire Thunder

Katie is a lifelong Bozemanite — born and raised here, an MSU graduate, and building her career here ever since. In January, she was unanimously appointed by the Gallatin County Commission to fill the vacant seat in House District 59. For those who know her, neither the choice to step up nor the support behind it came as a surprise.

Katie has long been a community organizer. As an MSU student, she built a coalition to pass a bill in Helena criminalizing the use of date-rape drugs. Soon after, she co-founded Bozeman Tenants United, a union of working-class residents organizing for real answers to the city's housing crisis.

Professionally, Katie knows how state government works first hand. She has spent the legislative session in Helena with the Montana Budget and Policy Center, tracking the state budget, and today she serves on the legislature's Law & Justice Interim Committee while working full-time as a legal assistant at the Gallatin County Attorney's Office.

And she's just getting started.