Biography:Keyanna Conner
Keyanna Conner | |
|---|---|
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| 17th Virginia Secretary of Administration | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2018 | |
| Governor | Ralph Northam |
| Preceded by | Nancy Rodrigues |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Residence | Richmond, Virginia[1] |
| Alma mater | Hampton University Virginia Commonwealth University |
Keyanna Conner was the Virginia Secretary of Administration in the Cabinet of Governor Ralph Northam. She originally hails from the Eastern Shore of Virginia.[2][3][4] She holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Hampton University and a doctoral degree in organic chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University. Conner worked in Mark Warner's campaign[5] and administration before joining Ralph Northam's cabinet.[2]
Education
Keyanna Conner grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and is a native of Wattsville, Virginia.[6][7] Conner studied chemistry at Hampton University,[5][8] where she took part in an environmental health project at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where she put her skills in analytical chemistry to work. Conner graduated from Hampton University in 2006 and received a doctorate in organic chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015, where she worked on her thesis "Gas Phase Studies of Organic Reaction Mechanisms" under adviser Scott Gronert.[6][9] During her educational pursuits, Conner was actively involved in public service projects.
Career
After watching Barack Obama's presidential campaign kickoff speech, Conner was inspired to be politically active and volunteered making phone calls and data entry for the Obama campaign. After earning her undergraduate degree in 2006, she moved to Richmond, where, in 2012, she served as the Chair of the Democratic Committee in Henrico County.[10] Conner joined Senator Mark Warner's 2014 campaign for the U.S. Senate as a senior adviser and political director.[5][11] She then worked for Senator Warner, first as his Director of Government and Community Affairs and then as his State Director.[3]
After serving on Senator Warner's staff, Conner accepted a position in Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's cabinet as Secretary of Administration.[8] In this role, she oversaw the Department of Human Resource Management, the Department of Elections, the Compensation Board, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, and the Department of General Services.[12] In December 2020, it was announced that Conner would leave her position for a job in the private sector.[13][14]
Honors
In 2018, Conner received one of "VCU Alumni's 10 Under 10" awards.[15]
References
- ↑ "Keyanna Conner". https://www.linkedin.com/in/keyanna-conner-b83b6661/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Evanne Armour (December 28, 2017). "Gov.-elect Northam announces picks for Secretary, Administration". WAVY-TV. http://wavy.com/2017/12/28/gov-elect-northam-announces-picks-for-secretary-administration/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Northam announces top administration appointments". Augusta Free Press. December 29, 2017. http://augustafreepress.com/northam-announces-administration-appointments/.
- ↑ Graham Moomaw (December 28, 2017). "McAuliffe rights restoration official will stay on under Northam". Richmond Times-Dispatch. http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/mcauliffe-rights-restoration-official-will-stay-on-under-northam/article_bfdc6d2a-525b-56e5-a2df-02e0083be72e.html.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Sen. Warner announces Keyanna Conner as state director". August Free Press. March 16, 2017. http://augustafreepress.com/sen-warner-announces-keyanna-conner-state-director/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Wattsville native appointed as Va. Secretary of Administration". WMDT. February 7, 2018. https://www.wmdt.com/2018/02/wattsville-native-appointed-as-va-secretary-of-administration/.
- ↑ "Center for Innovative Technology Announces Successful Completion of Statewide Data Town Halls with the Commonwealth’s Chief Data Officer". GlobeNewswire. December 19, 2019. https://www.globenewswire.com/fr/news-release/2019/12/19/1963143/0/en/Center-for-Innovative-Technology-Announces-Successful-Completion-of-Statewide-Data-Town-Halls-with-the-Commonwealth-s-Chief-Data-Officer.htm.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Keyanna Conner earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from VCU. Now she oversees five Virginia government agencies." (in en). April 26, 2018. https://news.vcu.edu//article/Keyanna_Conner_earned_her_PhD_in_chemistry_from_VCU_Now_she_oversees.
- ↑ "Gas Phase Studies of Organic Reaction Mechanisms". VCU Scholars Compass. 2015. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4032/.
- ↑ Anita Kumar (May 31, 2012). "Terry McAuliffe amasses support for gubernatorial run". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/terry-mcauliffe-amasses-support-for-gubernatorial-run/2012/05/31/gJQARQE94U_blog.html.
- ↑ The Associated Press (March 19, 2014). "Warner names campaign staff in Senate re-election bid". The Roanoke Times. http://www.roanoke.com/news/politics/warner-names-campaign-staff-in-senate-re-election-bid/article_8e19c118-af94-11e3-a29c-0017a43b2370.html.
- ↑ "Hampton University Students Visit State Capitol for 2020 Advocacy Day". February 12, 2020. http://news.hamptonu.edu/release/Hampton-University-Students-Visit-State-Capitol-for-2020-Advocacy-Day.
- ↑ "State announces new secretary of administration". December 10, 2020. https://www.virginiabusiness.com/article/state-announces-new-secretary-of-administration/.
- ↑ "Virginia Secretary of Administration Keyanna Conner to resign". December 15, 2020. https://statescoop.com/virginia-secretary-administration-keyanna-conner-steps-down/.
- ↑ "VCU Office of Alumni Relations - 10 Under 10". https://www.vcualumni.org/events/10-under-10/.
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