Jay Kahn
Jay Kahn is a Democratic member of the New Hampshire Senate representing the 10th district, located in the southwestern corner of the state and including Alstead, Chesterfield, Gilsum, Harrisville, Hinsdale, Keene, Marlborough, Roxbury, Sullivan, Surry, Swanzey, Walpole, Westmoreland and Winchester, New Hampshire.
Sen. Kahn serves as chair of the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee, on the Senate Finance committee, and is on legislative committees related to Legislative Youth Advisory Committee, Special Education, Streamlining Mental Health and Human Services, Electricity Pricing, Grandparenting and Legislative Rules. He also is a representative to the Education Commission of the States and the National Council on State Legislatures Student Centered Learning Committee.
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, he has a B.A. from Northern Illinois University, a M.A. from the University of Illinois at Springfield and a Ph.D. in political science and policy studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He and his wife Cheryl, with whom he has two children, live in Keene. Prior to his election to the Senate, he was a city councilor in Keene.
His 43-year career in higher education included roles at the Illinois Board of Higher Education and Governors State University in Illinois prior to becoming Vice President for Finance and Planning at Keene State College. While at Keene State, he served as Interim President and adjunct faculty in management and economics.
He has been elected as a lifetime honorary member of the American Institute of Architects-NH Chapter and a lifetime honorary member of the Keene State College Alumni Association.
Past professional and community service roles include: Society for College and University Planning, Board of Directors; and chairperson of National Association of College and University Business Officer, Comprehensive and Doctoral Institutions Council. He also served on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges—Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, the regional accrediting commission. Locally, he's chaired the Boards of the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, the Cheshire Medical Center and the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation.
