Kristen Richardson was born in London and raised in Australia, New Zealand, and Connecticut. She is a writer – her book, The Season: A Social History of the Debutante, was named a Smithsonian Best History Book of 2019. She has served on the boards of Piedmont Trust Company and the Northwell Initiative to Cure Epilepsy. She lives in Alford with her son, Henry, who is in the seventh grade at BCD. She is a graduate of the Taft School and Davidson College.