Biography

Kathrin "Kate" Sears had a career in both the public and private sectors prior to being appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the District Three Supervisorial seat in May of 2011.

She was in private practice for 16 years before joining the Consumer Law Section of the California Attorney General's Office in 2005. She gained statewide experience as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General and local experience as a City of Sausalito Planning Commissioner from 1993 to 1997. She was appointed by the Sausalito City Council to chair the Sausalito Parking Policy Task Force in 1999 and chaired the Public Safety Facilities Steering Committee in 2002. She has always strived to bring together a diverse group of residents, businesses, and other stakeholders, to recognize differences and find common ground.

She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Marin Conservation Corps (now known as Conservation Corps North Bay) from 2003 to 2007, and provided pro bono legal advice to the Corps from 1995 to 2005, supporting their work on county-wide recycling, park service and youth-at-risk issues. She has been a Sierra Club member since 1991 and is a long-time supporter of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Defenders of Wildlife.

Ms. Sears holds several degrees: a B.A. in Asian Studies from Carleton College (1973), a Master's in China Regional Studies from the University of Washington (1977) and a Ph.D in Political Science from the University of Michigan (1985). She received her J.D. from Harvard in 1989. Honors conferred upon her include a Fullbright Scholarship for her doctoral dissertation research and a Distinguished Teaching Award from Harvard.

She lives in Sausalito with her dog Josie and two cats.