Karla May

Karla May was sworn into the office of Missouri Senator of the 4th District on Jan. 9, 2019. She is a lifetime resident of the city of St. Louis first ward, where her mother, city register, Parrie May served as alderwoman. She is a graduate of St. Louis University, where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, and Lindenwood University where she received her Master of Arts in Teaching. She has been employed for the past fourteen years at AT&T, and worked as a union steward with CWA (Communication Workers of America 6300). She also served on the legislative committee and lobbied the legislature for years on issues affecting the lives of working men and women. She is a union card carrying member of CBTU (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists) where she sits on the executive board, St. Louis City Labor Club, and CWA. Karla has been a board member for the St. Louis Philanthropic for the past sixteen years. This board awards grants to agencies focused on education and programs that benefit residents of the city of St. Louis. Karla May started her career in politics at the age of eight years old stuffing envelopes, and passing out literature, when her mother former Alderwoman Parrie May was working a campaign for a local politician. By the age of seventeen years old she organized a group of people and began running street teams, and organizing for men and women who she believed were good candidates and had the best interest of the community at heart. She ran her first campaign as a candidate for committeewoman in the 1st Ward where she currently resides. Although she was unsuccessful in that race she continued to participate in her community and serve the people. Many years later the opportunity presented itself for her to take on a bigger leadership role in her community, so she filed for State Representative of Missouri's 84th District in February 2010, and ran a successful campaign, serving two terms.