Who Is Kay C. James?

            My VIP for this week is Kay C. James, the former president of The Heritage Foundation. Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin named James as the next secretary of the commonwealth. She has fought for conservative values for much of her career and will continue to assist the incoming governor in several capacities as well as maintain the official state records. 

Youngkin claimed that James will be “a true asset to the administration.” James commented on her new appointment, “As a lifelong Virginian who has devoted much of my career to public service, I see serving as secretary as one more opportunity to give back to the commonwealth that has given so much to me. Virginia Allen stated the following about James.

James’ career in public service began as a school board member in Fairfax County, Virginia, and then as a member of the Virginia State Board of Education.

Service in the field of education has been a continual theme throughout James’ career.

She served as dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, from the mid-to-late ‘90s. She later served on the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors from 2010 to 2014.

James became president of The Heritage Foundation, a large Washington, D.C.-based think tank, in 2018. During her tenure as Heritage’s president, she brought attention to the need for school choice programs across the country and pushed back on the teaching of critical race theory.

James’ background and passion for education at all levels will likely serve her well in the Youngkin administration.

            James is highly qualified for her new position. She understands the plight of many people living in poverty because she was raised in the Richmond housing projects. Later, she was “one of the first black children to take part in the desegregation of schools in Virginia. She went on to graduate from Hampton University, a traditionally black college in Hampton, Virginia.