Kaye Kory
Biography
Kaye Kory was elected as the State Delegate for the 38th District in November 2009 and was sworn in on January 6, 2010. She currently serves on the following legislative committees:
Finance Committee
Commerce and Labor Committee
Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee
Standing Committiees and Commissions:
State Board of Education Advisory Committee on Adult Education and Literacy
Commission on Civics Education
Joint Commission on Healthcare
Virginia Wireless Communications Infrastructure Group
Overview
Kaye and her husband Ross have lived in Fairfax County for over 30 years. Kaye’s three children — Matthew, Sandy and Caroline — all attended Fairfax County Public Schools and are graduates of J.E.B. Stuart High School. In addition to 10 years of service on the Fairfax County School Board, Kaye has been an active leader in a diverse range of community organizations including: the Annandale Chamber of Commerce; the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and the NAACP. She has been a sustaining member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee since 2001.
Kaye gravitated to the educational arena when seeking pre-K options when her children were young. She soon emerged as a leader of the Montessori School of Northern Virginia (MSNV), one of the oldest in the region. She transitioned into PTA leadership positions following her children’s transition to the public schools.
Kaye won a special election for the Mason District seat on the Fairfax County School Board in June of 1999, following the resignation for health reasons of former member Fred Ward. Fred supported Kaye in that election, even though Kaye was a frequent and vocal critic of many School Board and school administration policies. Fred knew Kaye as a PTA activist at Sleepy Hollow Elementary, Glasgow Middle School and J.E.B. Stuart High School, a mother of three and a passionate and effective community builder. Kaye routinely turned out crowds to observe and testify at School Board meetings and work sessions.
Following that first special election, Kaye won three regular elections by some of the largest margins for Democrats in Mason District and across the County.
Professional
Though Kaye has achieved prominence in Education, her “activist” roots run broad and deep:
She served as a counselor for troubled youth at “Runaway House” in the District. Kaye worked with the Grey Panthers in Woonsocket Rhode Island, under the auspices of the activist Catholic Diocese there.
As Program Manager for a Community Agency on Aging and Executive Director for Saunders B. Moon Senior Citizens Center in the Gum Springs neighborhood of Fairfax County, Kaye developed expertise in a wide range of programs affecting the elderly. She established a free transportation program for the elderly and handicapped in the Mount Vernon District of the County that was a predecessor to the County’s FastTran program.
As Program Analyst for the Fairfax County Department of Community Action, Kaye did program assessment and grant writing for such programs as Head Start and the Medical Care for Children Program (nationally recognized by the Kennedy School at Harvard for public sector innovation);
Community
Kaye has served on numerous boards and committees in her 30 years in Fairfax County including the Fairfax County Community Action Advisory Board, the Board (member and President) of the Montessori School of Northern Virginia, the Fairfax County Partnership for Youth, the Fairfax County Association for the Gifted; the J.E.B. Stuart Educational Foundation (founding President); the Fairfax County Boys and Girls club; and the Hampton Court Homeowner’s Association.
Kaye and Ross served two years as VISTA volunteers (predecessor to AmeriCorps), working on housing and anti-poverty issues;
As a volunteer, while she had young children at home, Kaye developed and led a “Great Books” program for seniors working through Fairfax County Adult and Community Education and secured funding for Fairfax County Association for the Gifted Literary Magazine
EDUCATION
Kaye has a B.A. degree in English from The Western College for Women (today, part of Miami University of Ohio)