Read the profile of Ken which appeared in the Washington Post Magazine on August 1, 2010. It's definitely worth reading! This article is a result of months of in depth research - it's an extensive look at Ken, his family, and what has made him a national leader in the fight for liberty and protecting the Constitution.

Experience

Ken Cuccinelli was elected the Attorney General of Virginia in November, 2009.

Ken was a member of the Virginia Senate from 2002 until 2009.  His experience as a small business owner and an attorney had uniquely prepared him for his role in the General Assembly where he served on the influential Senate Courts of Justice Committee.  Ken was also on the Transportation Committee, Local Government Committee, and the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee.

Ken's Commissions included:

• Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Project
• Public / Private Partnership Advisory Commission
• Commission on the Prevention of Human Trafficking
• Joint Subcommittee to Study Liability Protections for Health Care Providers
• Virginia Supreme Court Commission on Mental Health in the Justice System

As a state senator, Ken Cuccinelli led the fight to defend constitutional rights, stop tax increases, protect life and families, and keep Virginia a low-regulation and pro-business state.

In the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Legislative Sessions, Ken worked tirelessly to pass meaningful eminent domain laws that now prevent local and state governments from taking private homes and businesses for developers’ projects instead of for true public uses.

Ken also had a strong record of supporting our police officers as they protect our communities. He passed legislation that stopped local governments from unfairly exploiting our law enforcement officers’ overtime work.

Ken was a small business owner and partner in the law firm of Cuccinelli & Day, PLLC, in Fairfax.  He was a business law attorney with a particular focus on serving as an outsourced general counsel to small and mid-sized companies. His wide range of experience included litigation, licensing, financing, employment, advertising, branding, corporate formation, business transactions and contracts for both domestic and international clients. Ken also had experience in public interest, constitutional law and property rights cases.

Ken's bar admissions include the Virginia State Bar, Eastern District of Virginia, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, Court of International Trade, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Family

Ken’s wife, Teiro, was almost the girl next door. Actually, she lived three doors down from his family’s Northern Virginia home. Ken and Teiro married in 1991, after Ken graduated from the Engineering School at The University of Virginia and Teiro graduated from James Madison University. After over 18 years of marriage, they have been blessed with five daughters and two sons.

Ken and Teiro are active members of St. Andrew's Catholic Church.

Education

After attending Fairfax County public schools through 8th grade, Ken graduated from Gonzaga High School and went on to earn a Mechanical Engineering degree from The University of Virginia, followed by his Law Degree from George Mason University’s School of Law and Economics and then a Master's Degree in International Relations from George Mason University.

Community Service

Since 1997, Ken has worked within the Commonwealth’s mental health system in a number of capacities, first by serving as a court appointed attorney for individuals in Virginia’s involuntary civil commitment process. His experience as a legal advocate within the mental health system has enabled him to better understand the many complexities of the system and how they affect individuals, their families and the community.

Ken was a frequent participant in the informal TDO (Temporary Detention Order) taskforce in Fairfax County where representatives from all aspects of the mental health and law enforcement systems worked to continually improve the mental health system in Fairfax.

Ken took the knowledge he had gained in the mental health arena to the Virginia legislature where he was able to both educate his fellow legislators and pass useful laws to improve Virginia’s mental health system, thereby improving public health and public safety in Virginia.

Ken was appointed by Governors Allen and Gilmore to serve on Virginia's Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Committee (JJDP) from 1994 to 1999, serving as chairman of the committee for two years. One of Ken’s greatest accomplishments on the JJDP was to change grant requirements to force localities to objectively measure the success or failure of their programs. Requiring accountability measurements helped the JJDP to focus funding on the most successful programs. This is the type of accountability Ken strived to effect within the Virginia legislature as a state senator and will carry into his administration as Attorney General.

From 1998-2000, Ken was a member of the board of directors of Families, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting families during crises that were being worked out through the local court systems. In addition to being a member of the board, Ken performed all legal training for visitation supervisors utilized by Families, Inc. At Families, Inc., and in his law practice, Ken emphasized family preservation and the welfare of the children involved.

From 1998-1999, Ken served as the Sully District representative on the Fairfax County Public Schools Social Studies Advisory Committee during the time when new SOLs were being written and introduced. As a strong believer in parental rights, Ken believes these public school advisory committees should be composed primarily of concerned parents and their recommendations should be taken seriously by school administrators and teachers.

As an avid sports fan and a veteran basketball official of 14 seasons, Ken has served his community as a basketball coach and has also volunteered as a basketball referee. Ken is also an avid reader of history and enjoys skeet shooting when he’s not spending time with his children and family.