Barbara O'Brien
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 previously served eight years as an elected member of the board of Denver Public Schools from 2013 to 2021.[2]
April 18, 1950
Barbara O’Brien | |
|---|---|
| |
| 47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado | |
| In office January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011 | |
| Governor | Bill Ritter |
| Preceded by | Jane Norton |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Garcia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Barbara O'Brien April 18, 1950 Brawley, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Richard O'Brien[1] |
| Profession | Charity 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.[3] The Ritter/O'Brien ticket won with 57% of the vote.[4] As lieutenant governor she made education her signature issue.[5][6] Ritter chose not to run for re-election in 2010,[7] 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.[citation needed]
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.[8] and was reelected in November 2017 to another term.[9]
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.[10]
Business career
As of March 2012[update], 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.[11][full citation needed]
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]