Anne Holton

Following decades of serving Virginia’s families and children, Anne Holton now continues that legacy as the Virginia Secretary of Education. Holton is a proud product of Virginia’s public school system, and in 1970, she and her family helped to integrate Richmond City Public Schools.

After graduating from Princeton University, she attended Harvard where she earned her law degree. Holton worked as a legal aid lawyer serving low-income families before becoming a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge in 1998. As Virginia’s First Lady from 2006 to 2010, she spearheaded a major reform of Virginia’s foster care system to connect more children with permanent families. Afterward, she joined the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Child Welfare Strategy Group, consulting on foster care reform across the country.

In 2013, Holton served as the program director for Great Expectations, a program of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education that helps youth in the foster-care system gain access to higher education. She served in that capacity until she was asked by Governor McAuliffe to serve as the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Education.

Secretary Holton’s three children all attended Richmond City Public Schools. She is the daughter of former governor Linwood Holton and the wife of current U.S. Senator Tim Kaine.