Draft:Kat Calvin

Kat Calvin is an American author, entrepreneur, lawyer, and social activist who founded the nonprofit, "Spread the Vote", a voting campaign that secures IDs for unregistered American citizens. Additionally, she advocates for greater minority and gender representation in STEM fields.

Early life and education
Kat Calvin is from Seattle and Arizona. She moved around a lot due to her parents serving in the military. Calvin attended Mount Holyoke College from 2001-2005 to obtain her Bachelor's Degree. She then attended University of Michigan Law School from 2007 to 2010 to obtain her Doctorate of Law Degree (JD). She then attended Cornell University to obtain her certificate in Financial Success for Non-Profits.

Career
Calvin currently lives in Los Angeles where she works to ensure minority voters have proper voting identification when going to the polls as the Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit and campaign, "Spread the Vote" and "Project ID". She is also the co-founder and the CEO of the Project ID Action Fund. The program allows voters, particularly those who are poor, homeless, or immobile, to obtain IDs that they may need for jobs, to acquire housing and much more. The campaign, "Spread the Vote" and "Project ID" have helped over 11,000 people gain government identification. Calvin started the nonprofit in 2017. Before the 2020 election, the organization helped over 4,500 people secure IDs to vote and 77% of those people were reported to have never voted before. She is considered amongst others an "Accidental Activist", and one of the most creative people in business because she at first was not aware of the lack of identification of American adults, but decided to address the issue. The nonprofit is active in 12 states garnering over 600 volunteers. There is now a Bill in Congress called "IDs for inclusive Democracy Act" that allows for a free federal ID for Americans. Calvin details all the stories and challenges faced when starting the company and passing the Bill in congress in her book, " American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist ".

#BlackGirlsHack to Blerdology
Calvin, with Amanda Spann, created an organization called “Blerdology: The Science of Black Nerds, which had the previous name, #BlackGirlsHack”. This is an organization that was created to celebrate the achievements of the community that surrounds black women and girls in tech. Calvin and Spann collaborated on the creation of this organization to promote a safe space for women and people of color who want to be involved in the field of STEM. Blerdology produced the country's first all black female hackathon in 2012, something that was rare to see in the tech world at the time. Calvin and Spann have continued to create spaces in technology that reach all women and people of color.

Published books

 * "American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist." Calvin, Kat. American Identity in Crisis: Notes from an Accidental Activist. Amistad Press, 2023.

Notable features

 * TIME Magazine 16 People and Groups Fighting for a More Equal America


 * 2018 Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business


 * Business Insider 30 Under 30


 * The Grio 100