Kaye and her husband, Ross, have lived in Fairfax County for over 35 years. She has a B.A. degree in English from the Miami University of Ohio and has done graduate work in public policy at the University of Iowa and George Mason University. Kaye gravitated to the educational arena while seeking pre-K options when her three children were young. She was a frequent and vocal critic of many Fairfax County School Board and school administration policies. In June 1999, she won a special election for the Mason District seat on the School Board. After that first special election, Kaye won three regular elections by some of the largest margins for Democrats across both the Mason District and Fairfax County. Kaye routinely turned out crowds to observe and testify at School Board meetings and work sessions. Though Kaye has achieved prominence in Education, her activist roots run broad and deep.

​

Previously, Kaye served as a counselor for troubled youth at “Runaway House” in our 38th District. She also worked with the Grey Panthers in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, under the auspices of the activist Catholic Diocese. Additionally, Kaye was the Program Manager for a Community Agency on Aging and the Executive Director for Saunders B. Moon Senior Citizens Center in the Gum Springs neighborhood of Fairfax. 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). Kaye has also 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 has served on numerous Fairfax boards and committees including: the Fairfax County Community Action Advisory Board; the Board (as 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; renamed Justice High School Fund); the Fairfax County Boys and Girls club; and, the Hampton Court Homeowner’s Association.

​