Paden grew up in Des Moines. A graduate of Hoover High School, she has become an advocate for marginalized people and community building in her hometown. After getting her bachelor’s degree in biology from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, she came home and found her passion for uplifting the voices of others. As a community organizer, she has worked with the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement, Des Moines People’s Town Hall, and the Des Moines People’s Council. She is passionate about making the place she grew up the best it can be.
In 2021, Paden was the fundraising director for her sister’s campaign for city council, where they were able to outraise the incumbent and ran on a platform of defunding the police. She has worked with One Iowa as a policy intern for One Iowa Action during the 2022 legislative session. A recent graduate of the One Iowa LGBTQ Leadership Institute in the 2024 cohort, she is excited to start her work as a Program Coordinator to bring information and resources to Iowans across the state.
Paden is also an artist and member of the Des Moines Artist Collective, who can sometimes be found selling her linocut prints at art markets across the Midwest. She has too many hobbies and passions to count, including participating in shows at local community theaters, singing, reading, baking & cake decorating, nail art, sewing, thrifting, bug collecting, and dancing at the Blazing Saddle.