Kristen Cates

Kristen is a lifelong Mainer and has been with the University since 2016 as both a student and a staff member. She joined the Disability Services Center in 2023 as their Accommodations Coordinator.

She attended USM for History & Women and Gender Studies where she worked as both a Student Assistant for the Disability Services Center for three years, and with the WGS faculty on their curriculum committee. Kristen centers her work on cultivating educational environments that prioritize equity and inclusivity using advocacy and fostering open dialogues on disability. She strives to celebrate the myriad of vibrant, wonderful, intersectional, and diverse disabilities within our campus community.

In her spare time, she enjoys decorating her home, ghost stories, video games, and all things Tolkien with her partner Ben and their cat, Lacey.