Reagan Lake was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1971. She was educated as a biologist and received her MS from the University of Maryland in 2001. Shortly thereafter Reagan began a teaching career at UMBC in the department of biology. While she never received an art education in the traditional sense, she has been painting for over 20 years. In 2013, Reagan left academia to pursue art full time. She has shown her work in various galleries nationwide, including the New Britian Museum of American Art, and is a recipient of numerous awards both national and international. Reagan currently resides with her husband and daughter in Kensington, Maryland.