KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION u Life in Brief Quick Summary Hometown: Portsmouth, VA Conservative reformer whose experience growing up in poverty played profound role motivating Current Residence: Midlothian, VA entry to public policy and subsequent advocacy. After decades in Virginia and federal GOP policy Education circles, focuses on shaping a new generation of • BA, Hampton University, 1971 conservative leaders Family: • Cites formative early experiences in public • Husband Charles E. James, Sr. is housing with a mother on welfare and an alcoholic Director of the Office of Civil Rights at the father as fundamentally shaping views on US Department of Transportation importance of family, value of education, and • Three adult children need for welfare reform • Strong ties to Capitol Hill and conservative Work history policymakers through work in multiple presidential • President, Heritage Foundation, 2018- administrations and conservative advocacy Present • Active role mentoring young people with • President/Founder, Gloucester Institute, emphasis on education and self-sufficiency 2001-Present • Social conservatism rooted in devout Christian • Senior Partner, JC Watts Co, 2006- faith Unknown • Key outside influence quarterbacking advocacy • Senior EVP at MZM, Inc., 2005-unknown efforts for eventual passage of 2017 tax bill • Director, U.S. Office of Personnel • Management, 2001-05 Approach and Motivations • Dean, Regent University School of Govt., 1996-Unknown Reform-minded, merit-based problem solver • Virginia Secretary of Health & Human Resources, 1994-96 • Favors policies that reduce role and size of • SVP, Family Research Council, unknown government at state and federal levels dates • Argues for focusing less on social safety nets and • Associate Director, White House Office of more on merit-based incentives National Drug Control Policy, 1991-93 • Refers to herself as a solutionist rather than • Asst. Secretary, Public Affairs at U.S. identifying ideologically as a conservative HHS, 1989-91 • Director of Public Affairs, National Right to Cites education and family as foundation Life Committee, 1985-88 • Fairfax County School Board and State • Highlights influence of extended family members Board, 1993-Unknown who raised her to value education • Fought for policies that promote family and Past and Present Board Memberships and education as remedies instead of government Advisory Roles: • Uses her platform and expansive influence to • Member, Advanced Technology External mentor young people and instill value of education Advisory Council as a means to success • Commissioner, Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission • Trustee, The Heritage Foundation • Board Member: Salvation Army, Phycor, Inc., PNC, Amerigroup, and Magellan Health, Inc. PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 1 KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION Policy Positions and Areas of Focus • Supports school choice policies that give Conservative policy views shaped by formative parents more decision-making power years and emphasis on education • Cites DC Opportunity Scholarship Program as an example of an effective voucher program Urban Policy Reforms – Cites firsthand knowledge of failed urban policies Free Trade – Advocate of less government • Criticized what she views as liberal policies for intervention in US trade deals not addressing urban poverty and crime • Does not think tariffs are a conservative policy; • Believes encouraging two-parent families with believes that unrestricted free trade is one of a mother and family in the household is crucial the best ways to maintain a strong economy to curbing drug abuse and violent crime • Encouraged President Trump to abandon use • Believes there is an overreliance on welfare in of tariffs because, in her view, they amount to urban areas and that states should have the a tax increase on working families ability to reform their welfare systems • Supports USMCA despite its inclusion of minimum wage requirements, which she Welfare Reform – One of the top policy issues describes as trade barriers that she has personal experience with • Prioritized welfare reform as Virginia’s health secretary Core Communities • Believes welfare generally needs reformed to Virginia GOP – Longtime member who forged encourage less dependency and more self- connections over several decades sufficiency • Friend of former Senator George Allen who • Designed and implemented Virginia’s welfare appointed her to his cabinet, featured her in his reform that set strict time limits and imposed senate campaign ads, and introduced her work requirements for welfare recipients during her confirmation hearing for OPM • Proposed increased child-support enforcement • Has known former Governor Bob McDonnell for several years, and was appointed by him to Tax Cuts – Proponent of the 2017 tax cuts VCU’s board of visitors signed by President Trump • Virginia GOP created an award in her honor, • Supported tax cuts as a mechanism to boost the Kay Coles James Award, given to an economic growth and create new jobs individual who makes significant efforts to • President Trump credited her with helping expand diversity in the Virginia GOP pass the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Conservative Advocacy Community – Robust Pro-Life Movement – Drawn to pro-life issues network of advocates from desire to protect the vulnerable • Mentored conservative activist and • Chief spokeswoman for National Right to Life commentator CJ Pearson and CEO of Committee in the 80s Concerned Women for America, Penny Nance • Counseled young women against abortion as • Strong ties to Focus on the Family and is a volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center close friends with Chief of Staff Joel Vaughan • Matt Schlapp, Chair of CPAC, is a friend and Education – Issue of interest throughout career close associate • As a member of the VA Board of Education, disagreed with federal Goals 2000 education reform program because she believed it could threaten state autonomy over policy 1 PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 2 KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION u Core Communities Cont. Financial Disclosures and Donations • Tiffany M. Moore, SVP of Consumer Tech Donates infrequently to Republican candidates Association and former Bush 43 staffer from Virginia considers her to be a mentor • Maintains strong ties to pro-life community, Federal – Select VA candidates including National Right to Life, from her • $1,500 – Dave Brat for House (R-VA) involvement pro-life issues throughout her • $2,500 – George Allen for Senate (R-VA) career State – Select VA candidates, focused on GOP Hill Leaders and Influencers – governorship Relationships with former members of • $2,500 – Ed Gillespie for Governor (R-VA) Congress • $3,000 – Ken Cuccinelli for Governor (R-VA) • Maintains strong friendships with several • $250 – Amanda Chase for State Senate (R-VA) former GOP leaders in Congress including former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and former Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Media Appearances Jim DeMint (R-SC) Favors a mix of traditional and new media and • Doug Stafford, Chief Strategist for Sen. often sits down with conservative outlets Rand Paul, is an ally and friend • Michael Steele, Fmr. Lt. Governor of Television – Discusses her life and career as Maryland and RNC Chairman, is a personal well as being voice of Heritage on cable news friend • C-SPAN: Touched on life, career, and what shaped her conservative views, August 2019 • Fox Business: Discussed President Trump’s Selected Publications progress ahead of State of the Union, January Wrote about her life growing up and 2018 personal growth; commentary focuses on conservative issue advocacy Online – Talks about formative years and views on conservatism Books – Authored three memoirs about • The Stream: Interview with conservative personal growth and success publication discussing how tragedy shaped her • Never Forget: The Riveting Story of One Women’s Journey from Public Housing to belief system, December 2018 the Corridors of Power, 1994 • The Hugh Hewitt Show: Discussed views on • Transforming America From the Inside Out, conservatism and leading the Heritage 1995 Foundation, February 2019 • What I Wish I’d Known Before I Got Married, 2001 Speaking Engagements Often gives advice to younger generations and Editorial – Publishes opinion pieces speaks about how Christian faith has influenced boosting conservative policies her life • “Conservatives want to hear about new • Speaker at Project 2 Empower Leaders success in State of the Union,” The Hill, Conference about mentoring the next January 2019 generation in principles of limited government, • “I wanted to help Google make AI more September 2019 responsible. Instead I was treated with • Q&A with Michael Lindsay of Gordon College hostility,” The Washington Post, April 2019 Convocation on faith and her life story, • “Tax cuts only help the wealthy, right? November 2014 American paychecks show otherwise,” Fox News, July 2018 PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 3 KAY COLES JAMES PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOUNDATION Profiles Others Have Written • Lola Fadulu: “The First Black Woman to Lead the Heritage Foundation,” The Atlantic, December 2018 Info From Formative Years Deeply influenced by family upbringing • Grew up in public housing • Attending an HBCU (Hampton University) was a transformative experience and exposed her to black culture, something she later expanded on by founding the Gloucester Institute • Mother’s “monumental faith” inspired her to religious beliefs • Niece’s overdose was influential life event that she attributed to urban culture Family Background • Born in Portsmouth, VA and lived in a public housing unit • One of six children • Father, Bernard Coles, struggled with alcohol abuse, causing her mother to leave him • Husband, Charles, was director of state personnel and training under Gov. George Allen and is now the Director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Transportation PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 4 .