{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nKatherine Birkbeck is the Anderson County Board of Education member for District 2 and a candidate to hold the seat in the August 6, 2026 county general election, facing Debra Heaton [1][2]. The Anderson County Commission appointed Birkbeck to the board on April 20, 2026 to fill the vacancy left by the death of District 2 member Teresa Portwood on March 16, 2026; Birkbeck was the sole applicant for the appointment [1].\n\n## Background and education\nBirkbeck said she sought the school-board appointment because \"there's a direct correlation between community and schools\" [1].\n\n## Career\nBirkbeck has served as executive director of Historic Downtown Clinton, a nonprofit that promotes business and events in Clinton's downtown historic district, since 2021, and worked toward the district's Tennessee Main Street designation [1][3].\n\n## Family\nBoth of Birkbeck's children attend Clinton Middle School, in the district she represents [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Birkbeck appointed to school board \u2014 The Courier News](https://mycouriernews.com/articles/2026/04/10995/birkbeck-appointed-to-school-board) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Update: More candidates file for Anderson County races \u2014 The Courier News](https://www.mycouriernews.com/articles/2026/01/10600/update-more-candidates-file-for-anderson-county-races) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Clinton lands number one spot on Martha Stewart's best antiquing list \u2014 WVLT](https://www.wvlt.tv/2021/11/24/clinton-lands-number-one-spot-martha-stewarts-best-antiquing-list/) \u2014 accessed via search index 2026-07-06","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_2","county":"Anderson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"School Board District 2"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Katherine","fullname":"Katherine Birkbeck","lastname":"Birkbeck","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_2","contest_title":"School Board District 2","county":"Anderson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_2","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_2","contest_title":"School Board District 2","county":"Anderson","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_school_board_district_2","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board_district_2","office_title":"School Board District 2","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Anderson County Board of Education, District 2, member since an April 2026 appointment; running to hold the seat in the August 2026 general election; executive director of Historic Downtown Clinton.","terms":[],"token":"UOlaasVgJ1"}