Katrina Robinson was born and raised in Memphis, TN . Growing up the youngest of her siblings, Katrina learned how to make her own path at an early age. She graduated from Whitehaven High School in 1998, the youngest in her class and went on to Xavier University in Louisiana in hot pursuit of a career as a plastic surgeon. Then life happened. Katrina became a teenage mother and had to put her educational career on hold. In true resilient Katrina fashion, she shifted her focus to building her professional career. She started a calculated ascent in the business world, enjoying a successful career in business sales for BellSouth, Konica Minolta, and FedEx. During this time, she also earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Management from University of Memphis. It was after closing a huge deal as a Strategic Accounts Director for a major gas company that Katrina found herself jobless and in need of a change. She made up her mind to return to her love of healthcare through a nursing education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
In her time as a registered nurse for Methodist Healthcare, Katrina developed a keen interest in clinical education and identified the need for more educational resources for individuals interested in pursuing healthcare careers. Through time spent mentoring young adults and providing guidance in career goals, she discovered that there were a number of individuals interested in educational programs in healthcare but often lacked the resources or funding. From this, her vision for The Healthcare Institute was born. With no formal training or education in grant writing, Katrina wrote her own grant proposal and successfully secured a $1.6M grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding is used to provide scholarships for people like those that she mentored looking for a jumpstart to their education and also to provide patient education to the elderly community. The Healthcare Institute has since made a monumental impact on the local healthcare workforce and alternative postsecondary opportunities for the community.
On August 2, 2018, Katrina Robinson was elected State Senator (TN, District 33), unseating a 12 year incumbent in a 2 to 1 victory. She has taken her seat to impact education, healthcare, and economic opportunity for people just like her across Tennessee.
In addition to education, Katrina is a noted advocate for children. She founded The Sweet Jar Foundation – a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to ending child sexual abuse and molestation. Sweet Jar provides resources for survivors of molestation as well as a platform for reformation of laws governing prosecution of offenders.
Ms. Robinson is also owner of Celebrity Body Studio – a noninvasive cosmetic enhancement spa in Memphis. Ms. Robinson has two children, Jaden and Amaya.
