Mitchell-Tombras headshot

Emerson Fellow

Kate Mitchell-Tombras

13th Class, 2006-2007

Kate graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 2004 with a degree in Public Policy Studies, Women's Studies, and Spanish.  At Duke, Kate was active in student government, research, service learning, and campus dance organizations.  After graduation, she spent a year in Moshi, Tanzania as a Hart Fellow conducting research on children's rights and working for a legal aid organization.  Kate has worked in D.C. as a research analyst for an independent media company and as an intern in the Office of Representative James McGovern.

Field placement: Alliance for Fair Food

Immokalee, Florida

Kate coordinated outreach efforts to encourage the human rights and public service communities to endorse the Alliance for Fair Food and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ current campaign targeted at McDonald’s.  To increase awareness around the broader themes related to the campaign effort, Kate wrote research briefs on the history of exploitation in the U.S. agricultural sector and the relationship between U.S. trade policy and the migration of low-income job seekers.  Kate also worked to raise funds to build a community center for Immokalee farmworkers.

Policy placement: U.S. House of Representatives Hunger Caucus

Washington, D.C.

Kate worked to expand the membership of the Hunger Caucus and developed ways to educate Members and their Congressional staff on hunger-related issues.  Kate’s projects included organizing activities and briefings related to the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, developing content for the Hunger Caucus site, and highlighting ways for Members to get involved in anti-hunger efforts in their local districts.

Publications