Keven’s Story
Tobasco and Manicotti
Keven was born in New Iberia, LA (home of Tabasco sauce); a small town not unlike Herndon except you’d hear French spoken and Accordion music instead of Friday Night Live! You may guess by his last name that his father’s family is cajun french; his mother’s is southern italian whose grandparents immigrated to New Orleans to escape a fascist regime. While of very modest upbringing, Keven’s family and community would very clearly shape his ethos: community is who and what we choose to build. We need to remain connected to our past and embrace our unique heritages and experiences, while growing through education, hard work, and perseverance. Keven’s sister was diagnosed with a type of muscular dystrophy at a young age; his mother worked advocating for rights, housing and work equity for the mentally impaired through the Louisiana ARC; his father worked tirelessly in agricultural research for LSU. These experiences set him on a path to seeking inclusion and equal voices for all and a concern for preserving our environment and small community cultures.
Education is Key
Keven’s family encouraged him to learn as a means to achieve more than they could and break cultural stigmas. Keven excelled in school, the public school system often creating classes tailored around his needs and advancement, while also involving himself heavily in extracurricular activities building character and leadership. Starting in 5th grade, he began an affiliation to the National Trust of Historic Preservation working as a docent, first to children, then archaeological interpretership, then adult programming and finally black oral histories. In his final year of High School, Keven was selected as the only student to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). He went to Duke University where he studied Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ethics and International Policy, having spent a year in Copenhagen, Denmark. Here Keven was able to build friendships and develop understanding about cultures from all parts of the US and world.
The Migration North
After graduating, Keven made the move to Northern Virginia (Reston then Herndon). Here he built a career in Federal Healthcare IT, focused on expanding and enriching veteran care at VA and equity in care nationally at CMS. He built and led several successful companies as a Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the past 13 years, counting his greatest successes as the people he helped mentor and the lives he helped improve. Living in downtown Herndon with his husband Scott, he quickly became integrated in social support programs like Cornerstones, Community enrichment organizations like Arts Herndon, and producing a few community events like Holiday Homes Tour of Herndon and Herndon WinterMarkt. And he’s never one to shy away from a costume party around the holidays to get an eclectic mix of people together to share cheer and ideas.
Supporting Voices
As Keven embarks on his latest work adventure - private consulting to small businesses on strategy and development, he strives to bring compassion and thought leadership to enable success in his Community. He supports organizations giving voice to the under-represented or those not even included in the conversation, including being a charter member of the Herndon Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. He has strong relationships with local and state leaders on which to build these conversations for the benefit of Herndon. He has experience working with the Dulles Chamber of Commerce, Committee for Dulles, Town Manager and staff, DPW and Parks and Recreation, Fairfax County Supervisors and State Legislators. It’s this ability to bridge conversations with people of all experiences and opinions that makes Keven a Leader to represent our voices!
