Kristena Prater lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she serves as Director of the Tessa Foundation, a 501(c)(3) philanthropic organization. Through the Foundation, she has collaborated on numerous initiatives in Nepal and India addressing the devaluation of women, with a strong focus on human trafficking and gender-based inequality.
In recognition of her lifelong humanitarian work and advocacy, Kristena received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 from The Visioneers of Canada.
A writer since the age of eleven, Kristena has devoted her life to the written and performing arts—as a poet, freelance writer, dancer, and self-described “negotiator.” Her work has appeared in various publications, and her debut novel, Tessa: Eyes on the World, was released in 2024. She has been on a U.S. book tour since October that year.
Kristena is the proud mother of four children and grandmother to six grandsons.