Keyanna Conner

Keyanna Conner is the Virginia Secretary of Administration in the Cabinet of Governor Ralph Northam. She originally hails from the Eastern Shore of Virginia.[2][3][4] After earning a chemistry degree from Hampton University in 2006, she moved to Richmond,[5] where, in 2012, she served as the Chair of the Democratic Committee in Henrico County.[6] Conner joined Mark Warner's 2014 campaign for the U.S. Senate as a senior adviser and political director.[5][7] A year later, she received a doctorate degree in organic chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University.[5] Prior to joining the Northam administration, she worked for Senator Warner, first as his Director of Government and Community Affairs and then as his State Director.[2][3][4]

Keyanna Conner
17th Virginia Secretary of Administration
Assumed office
January 13, 2018
GovernorRalph Northam
Preceded byNancy Rodrigues
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceRichmond, Virginia[1]
Alma materHampton University
Virginia Commonwealth University

Education

Keyanna Conner grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. She pursued studies in chemistry at Hampton University[5][8] where she delved into chemistry. 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 pursued a doctorate in organic chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University under adviser Scott Gronert, PhD.[8] 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 realizing her heart was in public service, Conner joined Senator Mark Warner's campaign staff as a senior adviser and political director in 2014. Conner continued on as Warner's director of government and community affairs and eventually state director.[8]

After serving on Senator Warner's staff, Conner accepted a position in Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's cabinet as Secretary of Administration.[8]

References
  1. "Keyanna Connor". LinkedIn.
  2. Evanne Armour (December 28, 2017). "Gov.-elect Northam announces picks for Secretary, Administration". WAVY-TV. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  3. "Northam announces top administration appointments". Augusta Free Press. December 29, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  4. Graham Moomaw (December 28, 2017). "McAuliffe rights restoration official will stay on under Northam". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. "Sen. Warner announces Keyanna Conner as state director". August Free Press. March 16, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  6. Anita Kumar (May 31, 2012). "Terry McAuliffe amasses support for gubernatorial run". Washington Post. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  7. The Associated Press (March 19, 2014). "Warner names campaign staff in Senate re-election bid". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  8. "Keyanna Conner earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from VCU. Now she oversees five Virginia government agencies". news.vcu.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-16.


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