Margaret Thaxton serves as the Director of Development for the Fairfax County Park Foundation. She works with individual, corporate, business and foundation donors to secure sponsorships and donations, writes direct mail appeals and oversees the
Commemorative Bench and Tree program. She serves as grant administrator to benefit Fairfax County parks and outreach programs.

Ms. Thaxton is the liaison with Fairfax County Park Authority managers to track grant opportunities, submit requests and file grant reports.

Ms. Thaxton has been a fundraiser since 1978 and worked with nonprofits, foundations, association political action committees and a presidential campaign. Prior to her current role raising private funds, obtaining grants and creating partnerships with the Park Foundation, Ms. Thaxton worked as the Director of Development for two nonprofits, Transitional Housing Corporation and FACETS, whose missions are to improve the lives of homeless and at-risk families and individuals.

Ms. Thaxton is a member of the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Earth Day Committee, Communicators Group and the Elly Doyle Park Services Awards Committee. She served for four years on the FCPA Trailblazer Awards.

Ms. Thaxton, a Fairfax County resident for more than forty years, is a community activist who has served on the Community Action Advisory Board (CAAB) as the Federation of Civic Association’s representative, served as a member of the Parent Teacher Student Association for Canterbury Woods Elementary School, Frost Middle School and W.T. Woodson High School, where she served as President, and served on the board of the Canterbury Woods Swim & Tennis Club board for 20 years, 4 of them as President. Ms. Thaxton holds a BA in History from the University of South Carolina.