Kristin Bernhard
Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy, Ounce of Prevention Fund
University of Georgia BA ’09, Georgia State University College of Law JD ‘14
Chicago, IL
Kristin has been aware of the importance of public policy since she was very young. “I remember I was eight years old when Bob Dole ran for president in 1996 and I remember going phone banking with my mom to help on that election. That was always something I was raised with: that if you believe strongly in something, like thinking about the public policies and voting issues that impact it, it is just a part of what you do.”
Although she considered leaving Georgia, and her hometown of Roswell, to attend college, “you could not beat the deal of the HOPE Scholarship and a tuition free education at the University of Georgia.”
While at UGA and through the support of the HOPE Scholarship, Kristin was able to participate in organizations and campaigns that furthered her experience in the world of civic engagement. “The ability to not have to worry about tuition costs changed the type of collegiate experience I had. I was able to participate in more on-campus activities without having to worry about needing to work a job or be concerned with not being able to remain on campus, or other hurtles that might have been the case if tuition scholarship wasn’t there. It was really through a lot of those extra-curriculars that I found my passion and was able to connect with public policy, become involved in politics, and begin to pursue a career in public policy. It really allowed me to have a mature college experience in terms of the types of experiences I could have.”
Kristin currently works as the Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy for the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago. “I lead state policy work for Ounce across a network of 21 states. I am building on the lessons I learned in public service in Georgia, supporting other states across the country and also improving the quality of their early learning systems.”
“My favorite thing about public policy in general, and my current role, is that the work you do is so incredibly rewarding because it’s directly impacting the lives of children, particularly with public policy in early childhood education. It’s not just impacting children now, it’s impacting their whole trajectory, and it’s impacting their families. When I get to work with the state and help them, for example, expand access to really high quality childcare, you’re helping that child to be ready for kindergarten and to show up for k-12 school ready to learn and succeed, but high quality childcare also helps a parent go to work or go back to school for themselves or support their family’s well-being. It’s that two generation impact. To know that the work that you’re doing every day is supporting that is just mentally rewarding.”
Kristin lives and works in Chicago and hopes to continue her work in public policy by “looking for ways to grow my impact and grow my expertise and think about how the connection of public policy can affect healthy and thriving families and kids that are able to achieve their full potential. As long as I continue to deepen my impact in those areas, that would look like success to me.”