Barbara O'Brien (politician)

Barbara O'Brien
Barbara O'Brien
47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado
In office January 9, 2007 – January 11, 2011
Governor	Bill Ritter
Preceded by	Jane E. Norton
Succeeded by	Joseph A. Garcia
Personal details
Born	April 18, 1950 Brawley, California
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Rick O'Brien
Profession	Charity president

Barbara O'Brien (born April 18, 1950) was the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. She is a Democrat.

Political career

Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

She was chosen as running mate by Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2006 election.^[1] The Ritter/O'Brien ticket won with 57% of the vote.^[2] As lieutenant governor she made education her signature issue.^[3][4] Ritter chose not to run for re-election in 2010,^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8]

References

1. "Ritter lauded for savvy decision; Running mate Barbara O'Brien supports abortion rights". Denver Post. January 19, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
2. "2006 election results". Colorado Secretary of State.
3. "States Compete for Federal School Dollars". New York Times. November 10, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
4. "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.
5. "Ritter to withdraw from Colorado governor's race". Denver Post. January 6, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
6. "Final Unofficial Results". Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder. City of Denver. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
7. Lofholm, Nancy (2013-11-06). "Colorado school boards shift toward reform". Denver Post. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
8. Piton Staff, retrieved 2 March 2013.