Jay Kahn (born September 1950) is an American politician who served as a member of the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population ...

for the 10th district, in the southwestern corner of the state and including Alstead,

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, Gilsum, Harrisville, Hinsdale, Keene,

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, Roxbury, Sullivan, Surry, Swanzey, Walpole, Westmoreland and

Winchester, New Hampshire Winchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,150 at the 2020 census. The primary community in the town, where 1,606 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Win ...

Early life and education

Originally from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Kahn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

, a Master of Arts from the

University of Illinois Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois ...

, and a PhD in political science and policy studies from the

University of Illinois Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois sy ...

Career

His 43-year career in higher education included roles at the

Illinois Board of Higher Education The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) is a state government agency that oversees higher education in the U.S. state of Illinois. The IBHE was created in 1961. Since 2012 the IBHE also permits and oversees business schools and other vocatio ...

and

Governors State University Governors State University (Governors State or GOVST) is a public university in University Park, Illinois. The campus is located south of Chicago, Illinois. GSU was founded in 1969. It is a public university offering degree programs at the und ...

in Illinois prior to becoming vice president for finance and planning at

Keene State College Keene State College is a public liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire and the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Founded in 1909 as a teacher's college (originally, Keene Norma ...

. While at Keene State, he served as interim president and adjunct faculty in management and economics. Prior to his election to the

, he was a city councilor in Keene. Kahn serves on the Senate Education and Senate Judiciary committees and previously as chair of the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee, on the Senate Finance committee. He chairs the NH Commission on Telehealth Services and the Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education, and has served on many legislative committees including the Commission on School Funding. 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 Conference of State Legislatures The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States. Background ...

Student Centered Learning Committee, and serves on the New England Board of Higher Education Legislative Committee. He has been elected as a lifetime honorary member of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

New Hampshire 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 Commission on Higher Education. Locally, he has chaired the boards of the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, the Cheshire Medical Center, and the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation.

Personal life

He and his wife Cheryl, with whom he has two children, live in Keene.

References

External links

Profile
at

New Hampshire General Court The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 membe ...

Biography
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Living people 1950 births Politicians from Chicago People from Keene, New Hampshire 21st-century American politicians Keene State College faculty Northern Illinois University alumni University of Illinois at Springfield alumni University of Illinois Chicago alumni Democratic Party New Hampshire state senators {{NewHampshire-politician-stub