My name is Katie Jones and I'm driven to build a more just, resilient, and thriving Minnesota. As a clean energy policy expert with an engineering background, I hope to serve in the Minnesota House with the energy of a new generation and the wonkiness of a woman in STEM.

As a long-time community builder, I've led efforts to bring people together and take positive action for people and the planet. I have dedicated my life to making our community a better place, and hope to continue to do so with you at the State level. 

​​Originally from rural Indiana to a family of small business owners, I would visit Minnesota every year as a kid for summer language camp at Concordia Villages where I met my husband, Peter. I eventually moved to the State to work for Habitat for Humanity in Rochester and settled down in Minneapolis, where Peter and I bought our home and have lived for over a decade. I love this district because when I first moved here, I found welcoming neighbors who opened doors for me and made me feel like I belong--I believe everyone deserves to have that.  I've lived in different states and countries, but there is no place that feels like home like Minnesota.

My husband Peter and me at a Twins Game.

I show up in and for this community.  Since I moved to Minneapolis over a decade ago, I've:

• Been elected to leadership five of the eight years I've served on the Minneapolis Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee, a body of 33 members that oversees funding for nearly $1 billion in infrastructure projects and upgrades across our city. That means working with diverse stakeholders to make decisions on road repavement requests, park upgrades, and new fire stations to evaluate proposals and collectively make decisions about how to best allocate our resources for impact and equity. 

• Been appointed to serve on Governor Walz's Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council, where I advised the administration on policies to reduce carbon emissions to help our State reach our climate and transportation goals.  

• Served as Chair of the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association where I actively increased renter representation on the board and collaborated with a local business to create a compost pickup site for renters living in the Wedge.

​I've been a lifelong advocate of our democracy, reproductive rights, racial justice, and common sense gun laws.  My passion for these issues along with the depth and breadth of my practical experience as a coalition builder and woman in STEM means I will be ready to serve this district on day one. From boldly tackling climate change to championing racial and gender justice, public safety, education, housing, and economic development of our city and State, I will work with our community to co-create durable solutions for a sustainable future because we're in this together.

Attending an Equal Rights Amendment rally at the Minnesota Capital in 2018.

I’m ready to hit the ground running.

• I am deeply familiar with how the State legislature works, having written adopted policy, including nation leading emissions reduction policy in the 2023 Transportation Bill. 

• Before running for this seat, I led a coalition of labor, industry, advocates, and and environment groups to advance housing goals at the state legislature to support diverse, abundant housing options in our city and state.

• I have served on important advisory committees and worked on projects at the city, county, regional, and State level. My strong understanding of the interplay between these levels accelerates my ability to craft effective policy for our district and all of Minnesota.

• Having grown up in a small Midwest farming town, I know how to connect and work with people outside of cities so we can continue making progress regardless of which party is in power.

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• I work for a Minnesota-based nonprofit focused on developing and implementing energy efficiency programs and policies equitably.

Testifying at the state legislature on advanced energy codes, which passed into law.

​​​I get involved and bring others with me.
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• In my role at an energy efficiency nonprofit, I heard legislators’ interest in an energy-related bill. Knowing that bills are made better with input, I spearheaded a series of workshops to engage diverse stakeholders and ensured their voices were part of a bill at the Minnesota Legislature.

 

• Up to one half of renters and one quarter of homeowners are housing cost burdened in our district. That is why this legislative session I have facilitated a diverse coalition of housing, environment, labor, and transportation groups to encourage State action that supports more accessible and affordable homes.

 

• As president of the Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association, I spearheaded efforts to increase renter involvement to ensure that the board mirrored our neighborhood’s demographics.

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• I turned the construction of our climate-friendly straw-bale home into a community build, sparking conversations about how we can build more climate-friendly housing in our community.

Group of volunteers at the strawbale house community build.