Foxx, Virginia, 1943-

Virginia Ann Foxx (née Palmieri; June 29, 1943) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she has served as the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2005.

Born in the Bronx, she was raised in rural Avery County, North Carolina. She attended Crossnore High School in Crossnore, North Carolina before earning an A.B. and an M.A.C.T. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In addition to operating a nursery and landscaping business with her husband, Thomas, Foxx worked as a research assistant and then an English instructor at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute and Appalachian State University before moving into university administration. From 1987 until her 1994 entry into politics, she was president of Mayland Community College. Under North Carolina Governor James G. Martin, Foxx served as Deputy Secretary for Management. From 1994 to 2004, she served in the North Carolina Senate.

Throughout her time in Congress, Foxx has established herself as a champion of conservative values and has helped lead the national movements to reduce federal government spending and increase government oversight and accountability. The nonpartisan magazine National Journal has consistently ranked Foxx as one of the most conservative members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation. As the Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Foxx led efforts to modernize and reform the nation’s workforce development system. In 2019, Foxx strongly opposed the Equality Act, a bill that would expand the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and urged Congress members to vote against it.