Kathianne Knaup Crane of Clayton, Missouri, was educated at Washington University, majoring in political science, and St Louis University School of Law. In 1967-1968, between college and law school, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of South Korea, where she was assigned to teach English at Daegu Girls Middle School in the city of Daegu. in 2013, after 23 years on the bench, she retired as a judge on the Missouri Court of Appeals, where she was the first woman to serve as chief judge of a Missouri appellate court. While on the court she also chaired several statewide Missouri Supreme Court committees. Her prior legal career included ten years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and eight years in private practice. She brings 37 years of non-profit board experience, currently serving on the board of The State Historical Society of Missouri and having previously served on the boards of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (Treasurer and Vice President), Nerinx Hall High School (Board Chair), The Scholarship Foundation of St Louis (Secretary and Vice President), and The Family Support Network.