When Kay first started working in Los Angeles in 1990, she joined an organization which did clean-ups for the very important Ballona Wetlands ecosystem, so the care of our environment has been a passion for many years. Kay was first introduced to Grades of Green when her now 23 and 21 year old daughters, were in elementary school in Manhattan Beach. She loved how student led the programming was. Now, a decade later, she believes it’s even more important to raise a new generation of students who are taught to appreciate and manage our earth’s resources.
Service and community are two pillars of her family. Over the years, Kay has been active in the Manhattan Beach schools and community, serving many roles in the PTAs, Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, National Charity League Manhattan Hermosa Chapter, TEDxMB and is currently active with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. Kay is a strong supporter of various foundations and local non-profits, such as Tour de Pier, Junior Achievement, Walk With Sally and the Torrance Memorial Foundation, with a focus on organizations which are skills or health based.
Originally from San Francisco, Kay made her way down to Los Angeles to attend UCLA, where she received a B.A. in Economics/Business and where she met her future husband, Sam. They often say that UCLA gave them everything – their careers, good friends and each other. Kay was a Litigation Consultant with Peterson Consulting and later Tucker Alan Consulting in the Los Angeles office for over a decade, before staying home with her two daughters. Her family have also enjoyed investing in local restaurants and businesses.
Kay’s parents were great role models who treaded lightly on the planet and rarely wasted anything. They only ever bought what they needed, and it turns out they never needed that much. Kay is proud to support the mission of Grades of Green in providing opportunities for students to envision and lead changes in their environments to help everyone have a more sustainable future.