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The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens' Associations requests the pleasure of your company at the Seventy–second Annual Awards Banquet honoring 2023 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year Jay Johnston Citation of Merit Honoree Karen Corbett Sanders Saturday, the Seventeenth of May, 2025 at the Springfield Golf & Country Club 8301 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, Virginia Cocktails 5:30 p.m. Program 6:30 p.m. Cost TBA Please consider becoming a sponsor of the Citizen Of the Year Honors Banquet Please click here to register and pay for the Banquet

Jay Johnston the 2023 Fairfax County Citizen of the Year

Citation of Merit Karen Corbett Sanders Karen Corbett Sanders has been a valuable member of the Fairfax County School Board, being elected as the Mount Vernon District representative, and served with distinction and honor as a member of the Board for eight years, since January 2016. She has also sought to better the lives of students through her regional work, serving as the Chair of the Northeastern Region of the Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) from 2021-2023. Mrs Corbett Sanders was honored as a Regional Elected Leader, for School Board Elected Leaders, by George Mason University in 2022. She has a unique depth of knowledge of FCPS’ annual operating budget and championed the importance of tying it to the Strategic Plan. This enabled her to be a highly-effective voice for operational effectiveness and efficiencies. Mrs. Corbett Sanders was deeply committed to robust School Board oversight and effective stewardship of FCPS operations. This included the hiring of two Superintendents and the management of three. Mrs. Corbett Sanders served in several leadership positions during her time on the Board, serving two terms as Board Chair (2018-2019 and 2019-2020), one term as Vice-Chair (2017-2018), and during her tenure had the pleasure of being the Chair of the Governance Committee, the Chair of the Budget Committee, the state legislative liaison, and the federal legislative liaison twice. Mrs. Corbett Sanders has been passionate about equity and building strong collaboration with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to better serve County residents, as evidenced through her work to establish the Joint Environmental Taskforce with then Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova. She was also instrumental in creating a task force to research, develop, and achieve funding for 16 high school stadium bathroom structures. Mrs. Corbett Sanders pushed to improve the educational excellence delivered by Fairfax County Public Schools and played a key role in the development of the gun safety curriculum, the opioid and substance abuse curriculum, and the bystander awareness curriculum. She and Ms. Karen Keys-Gamarra also collaborated to bring about the Special Education Audit, with the final report being released in 2022.

The Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations, established in 1940, is the countywide voice for homeowner, civic, and community associations. An all–volunteer organization, The Federation works on issues that impact Fairfax County residents, including education, transportation, the environment, human services, land use, the county budget, and state and federal legislative issues.

PRESS CONTACT:COY Chair, COY @ fairfaxfederation.org Phone: 571–228–7200

about us | membership | Fairfax County | schools | state government | COG | contact us Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations, P.O. Box 3913, Merrifield, VA 22116–3913,