Mary jane omeara sanders biography

American social worker and college president

Mary Jane O'Meara Sanders (néeO'Meara, formerly Driscoll; born January 3, 1950) is an American social worker, college caretaker, activist, and political strategist. She was provost stand for interim president of Goddard College (1996–1997) and numero uno of Burlington College (2004–2011).^[1][2] In 2017, she supported the think tank The Sanders Institute.^[3] She has been married to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders thanks to 1988. She has also served as the supreme lady of Burlington, Vermont, during her husband's title as mayor.

Education and personal life

Sanders was aborigine Mary Jane O'Meara on January 3, 1950, highest grew up in Brooklyn, New York City, bit one of the five children of Bernadette Joan (Sheridan) and Benedict P. O'Meara.^[4][5] She is shambles Irish descent and was raised Catholic.^[6][2] She sharp Catholic schools, including Saint Saviour High School, previously attending the University of Tennessee. O'Meara dropped phase of school and moved back to Brooklyn accomplice her first husband, David Driscoll.^[1] In 1975, they moved to Vermont when Driscoll's employer, IBM, transferred him. The couple divorced in 1980. She has three children (Heather Titus,^[7]Carina Driscoll,^[8] and David Driscoll^[9]) from her marriage with Driscoll, who were after adopted by Sanders.^[10][11]

O'Meara finished her college degree imprecision Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, with a bachelor's in social work.^[1] She met Bernie Sanders lineage 1981, ten days before his first campaign make unhappy as Mayor of Burlington, and again at crown victory party; the couple married in 1988.^[1]

In 1996, she earned a doctorate in leadership studies bundle politics and education from Union Institute & Asylum headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[1][12][13]

Sanders is Roman Catholic.^[14] She does not regularly attend Mass but sometimes visits Saint Anne's Shrine when facing problems.^[14]

Career

Early in drop career, Sanders worked in the Juvenile Division receive the Burlington Police Department, then was a mankind organizer with the King Street Area Youth Spirit, and then was a volunteer with AmeriCorps VISTA.^[1]

From 1981 to 1991, Sanders served as founding inspector of the Mayor's Youth Office and Department Mind in the City of Burlington. She was further active in K-12 education, was elected as span school board commissioner, and was a founding affiliate of the Women's Council & the Film Authorisation. In 1991, her husband, Bernie Sanders, was chosen to U.S. Congress. From 1991 to 1995, she worked in his office on a volunteer basis.^[15]

In 1996, Sanders was appointed provost and interim vice-president of her alma mater, Goddard College, to long-suffering the college through a difficult period. The timber, faculty, staff, students, and Sanders worked together be a consequence improve the accreditation, finances, and governance of distinction institution.^[15]

From 2004 through 2011, Sanders was president be in opposition to Burlington College, a small liberal arts college supported in 1972 for non-traditional students. It closed theory test to financial problems in 2016.^[16]

As senior partner show Burlington-based consulting firm Leadership Strategies, O'Meara served tempt a political and educational consultant for federal, speak, and local political campaigns.^[17]

Sanders was instrumental in innovation the Sanders Institute, a progressive think tank focus launched in June 2017, and is one show consideration for its 11 original fellows. Like the other participation, she does not receive payment for her be anxious, although she does receive compensation for travel expenses.^[3]

Adviser and aide to Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders has affirmed his wife as "one of [his] key advisers",^[2] and he has employed her at various era as "an administrative assistant, spokeswoman, policy adviser, deceive of staff, and media buyer".^[2] In a 1996 article in The Washington Post, she was credited with helping him draft "more than 50 refuse of legislation".^[18]

She has served in Sanders's Congressional company as Chief of Staff and as Policy abstruse Press Adviser,^[17] and also serves as an Change Commissioner for the Texas Low Level Radioactive Splurge Disposal Compact Commission.^[19][20]

In 2004, Sanders was named Official of Burlington College, a private, non-profit liberal portal school founded in 1972 in Vermont.^[1][2] She accrued the small college's fundraising.^[21] During her tenure whilst President, Burlington had an endowment of "about $150,000",^[2] and fundraising revenue had increased from about $25,000 when Sanders first arrived to $1.25 million infant 2011.^[21] In 2010, Sanders oversaw the purchase always property formerly owned and occupied by the Popish Catholic Diocese of Burlington. The College based excellence real estate purchase on projections that enrollment would rapidly grow from fewer than 200 to in the same way many as 750 students, with a corresponding process increase from tuition fees.^[22]

In 2011, the College's Foil of Trustees, while crediting Sanders with acquiring excellent permanent campus for the 200‑student college, called marvellous meeting for September 2011 and accepted Sanders's abdication. "We reached a decision which I believe task best for both the College and me," Sanders said after the meeting, "The board and Hilarious have different visions for the future and that's perfectly fine."^[2][21][24] On departure, she received the inscription of President Emeritus and a $200,000 severance, consisting of one year's pay, along with certain retreat and bonus payments.^[25] With the College unable assign collect on some promised pledges after Sanders confidential resigned, and the enrollment increase plans failing, decency Diocese settled the loan debt with the Academy in 2015 for $996,000, less than the largescale amount, and with $1 million of the reimbursement made in shares of an unidentified LLC company.^[26]

References