Making an Impact: Jai Cole
By Chuck Cascio, author and former South Lakes teacher
As a child fascinated by marine biology, Jai Cole drew a picture of herself snorkeling and studying fish for a fourth-grade assignment, even though she had never done so. Living near Lake Fairfax Park and frequently visiting on her own to study nature helped fuel that fascination. She also fell in love with sports on Reston’s courts and fields, playing field hockey, basketball and softball at South Lakes High School. She later earned a full scholarship to play basketball at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she played for four years while majoring in biology.
Jai Cole’s story takes many turns, but one element remains constant: her commitment to whatever challenges she faces, whether academic, athletic or work-related. For the past five years, the 1993 South Lakes High School graduate has served as executive director and CEO of the Fairfax County Park Authority, overseeing more than 423 parks, 23,000 acres of green space and more than 325 miles of trails.
“I fell in love with nature at Lake Fairfax Park and had the adventures that led me to become an ecologist,” Jai says. “Reston and Fairfax County had such a significant influence on who I am that I jumped at the opportunity to lead, preserve and enhance my childhood park system.”
Her childhood was deeply influenced by her parents’ decision to move to Reston before she started elementary school. “Reston founder Bob Simon had created a middle-class Black mecca in the 1970s, and my parents were attracted to the community because it was a place that was welcoming and inclusive, regardless of your race or income. My family found a community here.”
After college and graduate school, Jai returned to live with her family in Reston while looking for work. She found a temporary job at the Reston Community Center, “punching passes at the pool, and then I moved up to be the assistant director of adult programs.” Eventually, she became director of adult programs, but “that’s when everyone was like, ‘Whoa, what are you doing? Get in your field!’ which was supposed to be marine biology.”
That advice led her to become a freshwater ecologist for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Montgomery Parks department.
“That move was also supposed to be temporary,” she says, “because I didn’t expect to fall in love with parks, but it’s a love affair that continues to this day.”
That love of parks aligns with Jai’s fascination with water, the outdoors and recreation, all of which fuel her determination to maximize the impact of her work. As CEO of the Fairfax County Park Authority, she says, “I can save something tangible in my community by stewarding streams and forests that I can see, touch and appreciate. That gives me an immense amount of purpose!”
As her experience in parks and recreation has grown, Jai has become increasingly aware of another way her work can make a difference. “I saw new opportunities to help bring communities together and to break down social, racial and cultural barriers. I saw how I can help reduce childhood obesity rates just by putting a playground in a lower-income community and upgrading fields to ensure that the same kinds of sports opportunities I had while growing up in Reston were open to all kids.”
As she pursues her goal of expanding access to county parks and recreation programs, Jai points to a major obstacle: the funding model. The park system “is publicly funded, but the recreation system is 100% user-funded. Our revenue fund is completely fee-based, including the toilet paper, staff salaries, the chlorine for the pool, Parktakes Magazine and more. Everything is paid for through user fees, not through tax funding.”
As a result, Jai says, “our fees are higher than many people in our community can afford, which skews our users to be wealthier than the overall population of our county.” She is working with the Board of Supervisors to change the model so that “access to recreational amenities like rec centers, camps and swimming classes, all of which are essential to what makes Fairfax County great, are available to all of our residents.”
Jai’s commitment to expanding access to parks and recreation has deep local roots. “My experiences growing up in Reston had a profound influence on my life and my journey. Many of the same families I grew up with still live in Reston and our ties are very tight. There is definitely a camaraderie to growing up in Reston.”
That camaraderie is something Jai Cole wants to extend to everyone.
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