• Live Chat
•  | 
• Call Admissions 877-777-9081
•  or 
• E-mail Us
• Request Info
• Apply Today

Biography - Mary Jane O'Brien

Mary Jane O’Brien is a native Pennsylvanian. She spent all of her childhood and most of her adulthood in Pennsylvania where she was educated in the public schools and, later, where she received a BA degree from the University of St. Francis. Mary Jane has had an interest in government and politics from the age of eleven when she formed a club to volunteer for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. She continued her work as a volunteer in many political campaigns and still is active, today, in political causes and political campaigns.
Ms. O’Brien became a Social Studies teacher in Suitland, Maryland while volunteering at Watergate, the headquarters of the Democratic Party. She spent about three years in the Washington area but returned to Pennsylvania to work in the office of Governor Milton Shapp and, later, Governor Bob Casey. Her duties, at the time, were to determine student eligibility for PHEAA scholarships to attend institutions of higher learning. Ms. O’Brien, then, used her history education and teaching interests to work with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission under the direction of Governor Richard Thornburg. Finally, Ms. O’Brien became an Administrative and Legislative Assistant to State Senator William Lincoln. In addition to her working experience in politics, Ms. O’Brien volunteered for numerous campaigns and for the Democratic State Committee of Pennsylvania. With the Committee, she hosted banquets, organized volunteers for candidates, wrote speeches, and performed other campaign activities.
Upon moving to Texas to join her family, Ms. O’Brien taught Government and Economics on the high school level for 23 years. She taught on a part time basis for Houston Community College while teaching high school. Her experience in teaching college-level courses began at Lone Star Community College in 2002, where she is currently an instructor.
Ms. O’Brien is an active member of the World Affairs Council, Law related Education through the Texas State Bar, and the Supreme Court Society. She is a founding member of the Political Science Honor Fraternity at the University of St. Thomas. She has been a member of several professional organizations. The National Endowment for Humanities recognized Ms. O’Brien’s educational accomplishments by awarding her two grants along with a grant for Economic Leadership.