City of Fairfax Mayor and Alumna Catherine Read Meets Schar School Students, Leaders

Catherine S. Read is the new mayor of the City of Fairfax, the home of George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus, and is the first woman to hold that office. She’s also a 1984 government and politics graduate of Mason. On September 29, the alumna met with Schar School of Policy and Government leaders and students at the invitation of Bonnie Stabile, associate professor and associate dean of student and academic affairs and director of the Gender and Policy Center (GAP), which studies the underrepresentation of women in politics and positions of power. The lively meet-and-greet at Mason’s Fairfax Campus was highlighted by a presentation to the mayor of a festive Mason-green feathered boa, which the former theater major was happy to wear during the event. Read the story about the mayor’s career and how she hopes to bring the city and the university even closer together.