Kaia W. Forgét is a native of New Hampshire where her extended family still resides.  The oldest of three children, Kaia is a lifelong sports enthusiast and competitor. She attended Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. on a Division I soccer scholarship.  A four-year letter winner, she also earned a Bachelor of Art in Communication Studies with a minor in French. 

Post-graduation, Kaia signed with the Buffalo Fillies, a semi-professional soccer team in Western New York and also served a year in AmeriCorps, Athletes in Service to America, a domestic version of the PeaceCorps, working with inner city youth on issues of conflict resolution, diversity and leadership.

Upon the successful completion of her service year, Kaia moved to Orlando, Florida and enrolled in the Mass Communication graduate program at the University of Central Florida and received a M.A. in 2000. She worked as an Assistant Director to a local AmeriCorps initiative.  She then moved from social services to the education sector and became the Director of AmeriCorps Florida Reads Orange County, part of a three-year statewide focus on elementary reading skills and comprehension.

The program housed at the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools, Inc. completed its contract and Kaia was charged with creating and leading a local, sustainable reading enrichment program targeted at second graders in Orange County aptly named, Read2Succeed.  Read2Succeed launched in 2001 and remains a strong program with community volunteers from businesses, civic and government groups working one-on-one with targeted second and third grade students throughout the district.

Kaia spent seven years at the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools working in various roles. As Director of Corporate Communications and Community Development, she became an advocate of public education and the role the community as a whole can play in educating our youth.  With experience in program development, public speaking, finance management, as well as written and internet communications, Kaia accepted a position with myregion.org as a Program Manager.  In her current role, she serves as the liaison to its Board of Directors and handles communications for the e-newsletter and the website in addition to other support duties to the overall project.