Kathi Thomas biography

Personal information:

Kathi attended public school in Southeast Texas, attended Sam Houston State University on a full music scholarship for two years, and then transferred and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Music Degree. She met her husband while they were both in Longhorn Band. Mark Hastings and Kathi were married in 1990 in Austin. Kathi is a native Texan, and missed by seven miles being a fourth-generation Texan (her mother was born 7 miles the other side of the Louisiana border.) Mark is a native of Austin and owns Hastings Communication Service. Kathi owns and operates Kathi Thomas Design, a wedding and event consultant and design business. They live between Austin and Dripping Springs in Hays County with their 4-year-old daughter, Lettie (adopted from Guatemala), and Kathi's sister, Marilynn Thomas. The family has a dog, a cat, a pony, and eight chickens.

Following graduation from UT, Kathi taught band for one year, then managed her parents' floral shop for eight years. Next, she moved to Austin, where she worked in a flower shop as production manager. In 1985, she went to work for Florafax, International, (then) a national floral wire service. In 1990, Kathi left Florafax to start her own floral design school and wedding business. In 1995, she closed the design school, and taught floral design at Austin Community College for several years, while continuing her floral and consulting business. For the past four years, Kathi has dedicated herself to raising their daughter, while maintaining her consulting and design business, and testifying at the Capitol about issues that she believes adversely affected her family and/or her deeply held religious beliefs.

Kathi Thomas' work in many areas has prepared her for this campaign

In the early 1990s, as the owner of a small floral design school, Kathi worked with Rep. Wilhelmina Delco in crafting legislation for small proprietary schools that did not take government funds. She worked on this bill for three years, and on committees with the Texas Education Agency (TEA.) She testified before both House and Senate Higher Education Committees, and was able to help get the bill passed and signed by Gov. Ann Richards in the 2nd session at which it was presented.

During Tom Delay's redistricting "emergency," Kathi actively participated in redistricting hearings. With her baby daughter at her side, she testified more than six times before the House and Senate Committees.

Kathi testified at the HJR-6 (which later became Proposition 2, in the Constitutional Amendments of 2005) hearing in 2005. A married Christian mother, she believes it is wrong to put discrimination into our state Bill of Rights and wrong for the State to deny legal rights to all families because of some people's religious beliefs.

Kathi has worked as a volunteer in the campaigns of Howard Dean and Rep. Patrick Rose, and in the No Nonsense November campaign. She is a member of the Dripping Springs Dems.

Kathi is an active church volunteer. In her youth she served as President of MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) and as an adult she's served as an Elder at Central Presbyterian Church, where she has also served as a member of the Worship Committee, as co-moderator of the Christian Education Ministries Team, as a volunteer children's choir director, as a member of the handbell choir, head wedding director, and coordinator for the CPC Thursday Noonday Concert Series for the past four years.

Kathi is an ardent advocate of adoption, and was co-chair of the Austin Adoption Fair for 2003 and 2004. She also organized a conference in Antigua, Guatemala for families who had adopted children from Guatemala in 2004. She will once again be organizing and participating in the "Returning to Guatemala II, a Working Conference" in July of 2006. She is the founder and organizer of the Texamalans, Texas families who have adopted from Guatemala.

She is a charter member of Families Without Borders (www.familieswithoutborders.org), an organization of adoptive families who are dedicated to keeping international adoptions open and ethical.

Kathi is a member of the Pan American Round Table, Austin Chapter (www.partt.org), an organization which acknowledges "the need for a better understanding and knowledge of the varying cultural and historical backgrounds of the Americas in order to achieve better relations among the peoples of these countries."

In 2004 and 2005, Kathi served as coordinator for Christmas House International (www.christmasih.org), bringing international students studying at universities and colleges all over the U.S. to Austin, housing them with families from Central and Covenant Presbyterian Churches, and using this as a "bridge-building for peace" opportunity between Texans and the people of other countries. Kathi will again serve as coordinator in 2006.

Other Community Involvement:

Kathi is a member of the Longhorn Alumni Band, sometimes acting as director of the Austin chapter

Thankful Hubbard chapter of DAR

Former member of Austin Symphonic Band

Sigma Alpha Iota Alumni, national professional fraternity for women

Other Professional Associations:

Texas State Florists' Association (past board member and Vice President)

AIFD (www.aifd.org)

Society of American Florists (SAF)

Professional Floral Communicators International (PFCI)

Charter member of Austin Wedding & Event Coordinators (past president)