Barbara O'Brien (politician)

Barbara O'Brien (born April 18, 1950) was the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is currently serving her second 4-year term as an elected member of the board of Denver Public Schools.

Barbara O'Brien
47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
In office
January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011
GovernorBill Ritter
Preceded byJane E. Norton
Succeeded byJoe García
Personal details
Born (1950-04-18) April 18, 1950
Brawley, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Richard O'Brien[1]
ProfessionCharity president[1]

Political career

Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

She was chosen as running mate by Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for Governor of Colorado in the 2006 election.[2] The Ritter/O'Brien ticket won with 57% of the vote.[3] As lieutenant governor she made education her signature issue.[4][5] Ritter chose not to run for re-election in 2010,[6] and O'Brien also stepped down at the end of her term.

Prior to becoming lieutenant governor, she was a speechwriter and policy advisor for Governor Richard Lamm.

Denver School Board Director

Barbara O'Brien was elected as the at-large school director of the Denver Public Schools School Board on November 5, 2013, claiming 59.5% of the vote and winning over Michael Kiley and Joan Poston.[7] and was reelected in November 2017 to another term.[8]

The Denver Post newspaper stated that candidates who promised reform won the majority of local school board elections across Colorado in the November 2013 off-year election, and that O'Brien, as well as her fellow winners for Denver School Board positions, were reform candidates.[9]

Business career

As of March 2012, O'Brien was a senior fellow at the Piton Foundation, which uses its private funding to develop, manage, and incubate programs to create opportunities for lower-income families in Denver.[10]

In 2013, O'Brien was named President of Get Smart Schools, a Denver-based public education reform group.[1]

Personal

O'Brien is married to Richard O'Brien, and has two sons, Jared and Connor.[1]

See also

References
  1. http://www.denverpost.com/2013/10/11/snapshots-of-denver-public-school-board-candidates/
  2. "Ritter lauded for savvy decision; Running mate Barbara O'Brien supports abortion rights". Denver Post. January 19, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  3. "2006 election results". Colorado Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013.
  4. "States Compete for Federal School Dollars". New York Times. November 10, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  5. "O'Brien eager for part of school aid; The lieutenant governor says Colorado could receive $5 million for education". Denver Post. July 24, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  6. "Ritter to withdraw from Colorado governor's race". Denver Post. January 6, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  7. "Final Unofficial Results". Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder. City of Denver. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  8. http://data.denverpost.com/election/results/county/denver/2017/
  9. Lofholm, Nancy (November 6, 2013). "Colorado school boards shift toward reform". Denver Post. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  10. Piton Staff, retrieved 2 March 2013.
Political offices
Preceded by
Jane E. Norton		 Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011		 Succeeded by
Joseph A. Garcia


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