Meet Maggie Cleary Kilgore
Mary Margaret “Maggie” Cleary Kilgore serves as the Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney for Culpeper County, Virginia.
A proud seventh-generation Virginian, Maggie was raised in Springfield, Virginia, in Fairfax County. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2014 with a double major in American Studies and Philosophy, concentrating in bioethics. While at Georgetown, she held leadership roles as President of both the Georgetown College Republicans and the DC Federation of College Republicans. Maggie also gained valuable experience interning for a Republican Senator, the Speaker of the House, and Fox News. She chaired multiple debate leagues and graduated with honors.
Following Georgetown, Maggie attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the executive board of the Federalist Society and as President of the Law Republicans. During her third year, she participated in the Prosecution Clinic, which led her to the Culpeper County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for her clinic placement. Upon graduating, Maggie began her career as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Culpeper.
During her time as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, Maggie specialized in the prosecution of crimes against children and animals. She handled hundreds of bench trials and numerous jury trials, prosecuting cases ranging from traffic offenses to violent felonies. Maggie also served as a special prosecutor in Fauquier County and was sworn in as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Rappahannock County.
In 2021, Maggie transitioned to the role of Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, based in Roanoke. There, her caseload focused primarily on gun and drug crimes, holding drug dealers accountable. One notable case involved prosecuting a drug dealer responsible for a teenager’s fentanyl overdose. Despite previous rejections of the case by state and federal prosecutors, Maggie pursued it, securing the defendant’s guilty plea and a 13-year federal prison sentence.
Following Governor Youngkin’s election, Maggie was appointed Deputy Secretary of Public Safety. In this role, she oversaw 13 state agencies with a combined budget of $3 billion and worked closely with the General Assembly to advance the Governor’s public safety initiatives. She frequently traveled the Commonwealth, visiting correctional facilities and speaking on behalf of the Secretary and the Governor.
Later, Maggie served as Special Counsel to Attorney General Jason Miyares, where she focused on prosecuting violent gang members and combating human trafficking and organized retail theft.
In January 2024, Maggie returned to the Culpeper Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office as a Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney. She handles a variety of felony cases, including those involving child victims and survivors of domestic violence in Culpeper County Circuit Court.
In December 2023, Maggie married Klarke Kilgore at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church in Hot Springs, Virginia. After Maggie accepted the position of Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney in Culpeper County, she and her husband moved to Madison, Virginia, where they currently reside with their two rescue dogs and two cats. You can usually find them at trivia on Thursday nights, and in Shenandoah National Park or Charlottesville, cheering on the ‘Hoos, most weekends.
In her spare time, Maggie serves on the board of SAFE (Services for Abused Families), teaches trial advocacy at UVA Law School, and remains active in the Madison County Republican Community. She also assists local law enforcement in co-teaching criminal adjudication to high school students in Culpeper County. Previously, Maggie served as Vice Chair of the Culpeper Republican Committee, and on the board of Powell Wellness Foundation. She also enjoyed reviving the Citizenship Class for Culpeper Literacy Council, and teaching new citizens for nearly five years. Maggie is an active parishioner at Our Lady of the Blue Ridge Catholic Church in Madison.