coxe graduated from the wheeler school in 1967. as an employee of save the bay, coxe helped organize the first annual save the bay swim in 1977, later serving as executive director of save the bay from 1979 to 1990. she ran an unsuccessful campaign as a republican for congress against jack reed in 1990. from 1993 to 1998 she served as massachusetts' secretary of environmental affairs under governor weld and governor cellucci. after leaving this position, she became c.e.o. of the preservation society of newport county.