Representative Cotter works for Lund's Fisheries, selling and training sales teams across the country on all matters related to the main ingredient in calamari, Rhode Island's official state appetizer - squid. She is a member of Women in Seafood.

She grew up in the Elmhurst section of Providence, with working parents who divorced when she was young. Her father imparted upon her and her siblings the importance of hard work and kindness, involving the family in church and volunteering for those in need. She graduated from Classical High School in 2002, and went on to University of Rhode Island, where she triple majored in English, Comparative Literature, and Classical Studies.

Shortly after college, she married her husband, Christopher. They soon had three children, Emily, Joseph, and Charles. Like many Rhode Islanders, they struggled under the weight of rent, utilities, health care, and student loans, but eventually managed to buy a home in Exeter. When that home was completely destroyed in a fire in 2017, their tragedy was transformed into a profound lesson on kindness and community, as neighbors and friends reached out with support from every direction. Rather than move, they did not hesitate to rebuild in the same spot. They and their children are active volunteers in the community that gave so much to them.​