Although her distinguished career spans a number of related disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, Deborah Kahn always has been guided by a single career objective — help people identify, understand and achieve their goals.

This commitment to human potential characterized her work in criminology, including her service as a counselor for the adult system of Virginia Department of Probation and Parole. Similarly, she taught Lifespan Human Development, a two-semester psychology course, at Northern Virginia Community College.

Her dedication to human development informed her work for the Framingham (MA) School District, where she helped administrators identify and prevent pupil learning problems. And it is most evident in her doctoral dissertation and follow-up study which she transformed into her book—The Roads Taken:Complex Lives of Employed and At-Home Mothers—a valuable resource for mothers who must choose between staying at home or being in the work force.

Active in the community, she was a member and then president of PTAs at her children’s schools, a member of the Wolf Trap Foundation Board, and she served on Fairfax County’s Superintendent Search Citizens Advisory Committee and as an elected member of the McLean Community Center Governing Board, all in Virginia.
Throughout her career and underlying her desire to guide people to become the best version of themselves is her a deep interest in people—their commonality of feelings as well as respect for their differences. It is because of this passion that she now writes blogs and articles encompassing three Life Phases of Women: Parenthood—Early Years, Parent Adult Child Communication, and Widowhood—Later Years.

A native of Boston, she earned her B.A. in English from the University of Michigan, a master’s in counseling from Boston University and a doctorate in counseling and human development from George Washington University.

Deborah, widowed in 2022 after 42 years of a wonderful marriage—not without its challenges, still lives in McLean, VA. She has two independent thriving adult children and five perfect (of course) grandchildren. AND let’s not forget her two dogs.