Meet Emma
Emma Curtis was born in Lexington in 1996.
Growing up on her family's farm, she learned quickly how to work hard and get the job done. She's carried that work ethic with her ever since.
From an early age, her family instilled in her an understanding of the importance of civic engagement and public service.
Her mother worked for former Governor Wallace Wilkinson. Her uncle worked for everybody from the Legislative Research Commission to former Governor Steve Beshear. This gave Emma a front row seat to the day-to-day work that goes into making effective public policy.
Emma became politically active in 2016.
She wanted to push back against the cruelty and mean-spiritedness she saw brewing in her community during that year's presidential election.
As a student at Centre College, she helped organize and participated in several campaigns and events aimed at increasing administrative transparency, preventing sexual assault and harassment on campus, and promoting inclusion and equality for students of color and LGBTQ+ students.
She also began knocking doors and phone-banking for the political campaigns of candidates she believed in, as well as attending rallies, marches, and community organizing meetings.
After graduating from Centre in 2018, Emma has spent her entire adult life working and living in Lexington.
Currently, she works as an independent filmmaker telling the stories of the remarkable people that make Lexington so special. Her most recent film, There Is No Answer: A Film About George Szekely, will be airing on KET this year.
She also works as an issue-based organizer and advocate.
Whether registering Lexingtonians to vote through her work as a voter engagement organizer at Kentuckians for the Commonwealth or volunteering with organizations like the ACLU of Kentucky and the Fairness Campaign, Emma has demonstrated a relentless commitment to building a better future for her community and her commonwealth.
Outside of work, she is extremely active in her community.
She is a member of several community-focused organizations, including CivicLex, the Lexington Branch of the Kentucky Women's Network, and the Lexington Forum, which are focused on bringing people together, having good-faith conversations, and improving Lexington's civic health.
When she's not working, Emma enjoys spending quality time with her partner and family, going to see classic movies at The Kentucky Theatre, playing music with her friends, and taking her dog Benny for long walks at Veterans Park.
Emma is running for Council because she loves her neighbors and community in South Lexington.
She knows that running for office is serious business. It's not something to do because you want a job that you can keep regardless of how often you miss work. It's not something to do because you're retired, wealthy, and want to put another feather in your cap.
It's something to do because you care deeply about the people and communities you wish to serve.
A Councilmember's job is to advocate for the people who live in their district and address the issues that matter to them—and that's exactly what Emma will do.
