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
Barbara O'Brien

(1950-04-18) April 18, 1950 (age 74)
Brawley, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRichard O'Brien[1]
ProfessionCharity president[1]

Political career

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Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

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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.[citation needed]

Denver School Board Director

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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

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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][full citation needed]

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

Personal

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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Snapshots of Denver Public School board candidates". October 11, 2013.
  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.[full citation needed]
  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 Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011
Succeeded by
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