Keep In Touch
About Cheryl C. Kagan
District 17 (Rockville, Gaithersburg, Garrett Park)
Cheryl Kagan's background includes work in all sectors--
public, private, and nonprofit. A
Montgomery County native and product of our public schools, Cheryl studied
political science at Vassar College.
After graduation, she returned home to make a difference in our
community and continue her education in graduate studies in public policy. She worked on issues including protecting our
civil liberties (including a woman's right to choose); advancing campaign
finance reform; and enacting the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban.
A life-long Democrat, Cheryl won election to the Maryland
House of Delegates in 1994. She proudly
represented District 17 (Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Garrett Park) in
Annapolis. There, she earned a
reputation as an independent-minded legislator and was particularly effective
in her work on the Appropriations Committee.
After eight years in the House, Cheryl chose not to seek
reelection. She continued advancing
important issues by serving as the first-ever Executive Director of the Carl M.
Freeman Foundation. Under Cheryl's
guidance, the Foundation distributed over $1,000,000 each year to deserving
nonprofit organizations primarily in Montgomery County (MD) and Sussex County (DE). Grants, capacity-building programs, and
leadership institutes provided support for worthy organizations working on
behalf of the underprivileged, the environment, education, the elderly, and the
arts. Following the untimely death of
the Foundation's Chair, Cheryl coordinated the creation of the Joshua M.
Freeman Foundation as well.
Over the years, Cheryl has committed her time and talents
as a political and strategic consultant and spokesperson. Her candidates and causes have been at both
the federal and local levels and have included electing progressive Democrats;
reducing drug and alcohol dependence; and creating affordable housing for
working people. Most recently, she
earned the title of "Professor Kagan" for the course she teaches on State &
Local Government at Montgomery College.
For many years, she has been a regular Democratic commentator on CBS
TV's Washington D.C. affiliate and other media outlets.
An active volunteer, Cheryl served eight years on the
Maryland State Arts Council and just completed six years as Vice President of
the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County. She was appointed by the County Executive to
the Charter Review Commission and by the Chancellor to the Board of Advisors of
the Universities at Shady Grove. She
currently serves on the boards of the American Jewish Committee and Americans
for Democratic Action. She is a graduate
of Leadership Montgomery (Class of 2002) and continues to volunteer with the
organization. Along with her husband,
David Spitzer (a career Montgomery County public school teacher), Cheryl is the
founder and co-host of "Folk 'N Great Music," which brings nationally known
acoustic singer-songwriters into an intimate performance setting. Cheryl's commitment to supporting the artists
has resulted in their series becoming the first unionized house concert venue
in the country!
Twice recognized as one of Maryland's "Top 100 Women",
Cheryl was also selected by Montgomery County's Business and Professional Women
as a "Woman of Achievement" and as both a Blaustein and Comay Fellow by the
American Jewish Committee. The Greater
Washington Board of Trade twice recognized her for leadership on behalf of the
Intercounty Connector, and The Baltimore Sun named her as one of their
"Rising Stars."
July 2009
Cheryl Kagan's background includes work in all sectors-- public, private, and nonprofit. A Montgomery County native and product of our public schools, Cheryl studied political science at Vassar College. After graduation, she returned home to make a difference in our community and continue her education in graduate studies in public policy. She worked on issues including protecting our civil liberties (including a woman's right to choose); advancing campaign finance reform; and enacting the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban.
A life-long Democrat, Cheryl won election to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994. She proudly represented District 17 (Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Garrett Park) in Annapolis. There, she earned a reputation as an independent-minded legislator and was particularly effective in her work on the Appropriations Committee.
After eight years in the House, Cheryl chose not to seek reelection. She continued advancing important issues by serving as the first-ever Executive Director of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation. Under Cheryl's guidance, the Foundation distributed over $1,000,000 each year to deserving nonprofit organizations primarily in Montgomery County (MD) and Sussex County (DE). Grants, capacity-building programs, and leadership institutes provided support for worthy organizations working on behalf of the underprivileged, the environment, education, the elderly, and the arts. Following the untimely death of the Foundation's Chair, Cheryl coordinated the creation of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation as well.
Over the years, Cheryl has committed her time and talents as a political and strategic consultant and spokesperson. Her candidates and causes have been at both the federal and local levels and have included electing progressive Democrats; reducing drug and alcohol dependence; and creating affordable housing for working people. Most recently, she earned the title of "Professor Kagan" for the course she teaches on State & Local Government at Montgomery College. For many years, she has been a regular Democratic commentator on CBS TV's Washington D.C. affiliate and other media outlets.
An active volunteer, Cheryl served eight years on the Maryland State Arts Council and just completed six years as Vice President of the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County. She was appointed by the County Executive to the Charter Review Commission and by the Chancellor to the Board of Advisors of the Universities at Shady Grove. She currently serves on the boards of the American Jewish Committee and Americans for Democratic Action. She is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery (Class of 2002) and continues to volunteer with the organization. Along with her husband, David Spitzer (a career Montgomery County public school teacher), Cheryl is the founder and co-host of "Folk 'N Great Music," which brings nationally known acoustic singer-songwriters into an intimate performance setting. Cheryl's commitment to supporting the artists has resulted in their series becoming the first unionized house concert venue in the country!
Twice recognized as one of Maryland's "Top 100 Women", Cheryl was also selected by Montgomery County's Business and Professional Women as a "Woman of Achievement" and as both a Blaustein and Comay Fellow by the American Jewish Committee. The Greater Washington Board of Trade twice recognized her for leadership on behalf of the Intercounty Connector, and The Baltimore Sun named her as one of their "Rising Stars."
July 2009
Cheryl shares stories about how she first got involved in politics…