- Kristen Cox
Infobox_Governor
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name= Kristen Cox
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office= Executive Director for the Utah Department of Workforce Services
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birth_date= 1969
birth_place=Bellevue, Washington
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spouse= Randy Cox
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party= Republican
footnotes=Kristen Cox (born Kristen Eyring in 1969,
Bellevue, Washington ) is a blind American politician and current Executive Director for theUtah Department of Workforce Services. Previously Cox served asMaryland Secretary of Disabilities. Kris Cox was therunning mate of Maryland GovernorRobert L. Ehrlich in the Maryland 2006 gubernatorial election.Early life, career, and family
Cox was born in
Bellevue, Washington . While growing up inUtah , Cox gradually lost most of her vision starting about age 11 due to a degenerative genetic condition caused by "a rarerecessive trait ," [http://www.examiner.com/a-134098~An_inside_look_at_Kristen_Cox___Ehrlich_s_advocate_for_the_disabled.html] (Stargardt's disease [http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,640193209,00.html] ), so she had to use awhite cane for walking.She attended
Brigham Young University , where she had to memorize everything because she had not yet learned Braille. [http://www.examiner.com/a-134098~An_inside_look_at_Kristen_Cox___Ehrlich_s_advocate_for_the_disabled.html] Cox received her B.A. in educational psychology with a certificate in special education in 1995. A devout member ofThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Cox spent eighteen months prior to graduation as aMormon missionary inBrazil .fact|date=July 2008Marriage and family
Currently Cox lives in Utah with her husband Randy and their two sons, Tanner and Riley. In a 1998 article for the
National Federation of the Blind , Randy credits her with changing perceptions about blindness. [ [http://www.nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm98/bm980206.htm NFB.org publications] ] Randy described an experience he had as a highschooler assisting a man who had become almost completely helpless after becoming blind. He contrasted this with meeting Kristen in 1992, and being most impressed with a blind woman who could cross the street easily, order at restaurants, and was a top student and international traveller. Randy stated::her example changed my perception of blindness forever. Had I never met her, I would probably still hold the beliefs I developed from my high school experience.
Professional life
After graduation, Cox went to work for the Utah chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind . In 1998 Cox moved to Baltimore to become Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs for the national organization.In 2001 she was appointed by President
George W. Bush as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration in theUnited States Department of Education "where she helped developed national initiatives to promote the employment and independence of individuals with disabilities." [ [http://www.bobehrlich.com/about/cox.aspx BobEhrlich.com] ]She joined the Ehrlich administration in 2003 as Director of the Office for Individuals with Disabilities. On
July 1 ,2004 she was confirmed by the Maryland State Senate as Secretary of the nation's first cabinet level Department of Disabilities.On
March 5 ,2007 , it was announced that she would replace Tani Pack Downing as the Executive Director for the Department of Workforce Services in Utah.2006 Maryland gubernatorial election
"For more information, see"
Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006 .References
* [http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/12dod/former/html/msa14296.html Maryland Archives biography]
* [http://www.examiner.com/a-134098~An_inside_look_at_Kristen_Cox___Ehrlich_s_advocate_for_the_disabled.html An inside look at Kristen Cox — Ehrlich’s advocate for the disabled]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/29/AR2006062901055.html Ehrlich Picks Cabinet Member Cox for Ticket]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2006/10/23/VI2006102300366.html Kristin Cox TV ad for Bob Ehrlich]ee also
*
Government of Maryland External links
*http://www.bobehrlich.com/
*http://jobs.utah.gov/edo/dirmsg.asp
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