Kirsten grew up just over the Fairfax County/City line and attended Fairfax United Methodist preschool and Fairfax County Public Schools, ultimately graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) and the University of Virginia. After college, she moved to Arlington and started her career as a management and strategy consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton. While living in Arlington, Kirsten was very involved in community volunteer programs including Higher Achievement, Volunteer Arlington, and the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA).

Kirsten and her family moved to the City of Fairfax in 2017, and she was appointed to the City’s Planning Commission in 2021. In 2024, she was named Vice Chair of the Commission, and she is also its current representative to the Fairfax City EDA’s Facade & Interior Improvement Grant (FIIG) Review Committee. In addition to her City government involvement, Kirsten is a member of the Daniels Run and Mosaic Elementary School PTAs and a dedicated swim and dance mom.

Kirsten, her husband, their two daughters, and their dog live in the Crestmont neighborhood, from which they love walking to City playgrounds, DeClieu Coffee & Sandwich, the library, the Funky Flea, the farmers market, Rock the Block, and the annual Independence Day parade and Fall Festival (…or maybe they just love walking?).