Maggie Kildee, a native Californian, graduated from the University of Redlands in 1954, with a BA in Education. Later she earned a Master’s degree from California Lutheran University. She moved to Ventura County in 1966, and has lived in Camarillo ever since. After working for ten years as a public school teacher, she was one of the first women to be elected to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, where she served for sixteen years, four of those years as Chairman of the Board. She retired in 1996. Since then, she has devoted her time to sculpting, using both clay and stone. She can be found almost every day in the studio she maintains at Studio Channel Islands Art Center, located in Old Town Camarillo. Her work has been well received and has become part of many private collections.
In 1991 she married local businessman Bob Kildee. Bob passed away in September of 2010. She continued to live in Camarillo and to spend time with their combined seven children and nine grandchildren. Maggie stays active in the community, being Past President of the Board of Directors for Studio Channel Islands Art Center, of which she is one of the Founders. The Studio Board honored her in 2005 by naming an annual gift for art education The Maggie Kildee Fund. She has been a member of the Camarillo Art and Jazz organization and is an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Camarillo. She is a member of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Camarillo.
