Jamie O’Leary, MPA

Jamie is the Associate Director, Policy and External Affairs for the Crane Center and Schoenbaum Family Center. In this role she leads policy research and evaluation, serving as co-investigator on several projects to analyze state child care policies and birth-to-five programs to improve child care access, affordability, quality, and equity. Her expertise includes state and federal early childhood and child care policy, K-12 policy, legislative/regulatory processes, and communicating/disseminating research to wide audiences.

Before joining Ohio State in 2018, Jamie worked in education research, advocacy, and policy analysis for a think tank and an Ohio community school authorizer and coalition. As a first-generation college graduate committed to equity for all children, she began her career in the classroom, teaching kindergarten in Camden, New Jersey, as well as tutoring high schoolers in Trenton, New Jersey. She received a bachelor’s in political science from Messiah College, earning a Truman Fellowship in 2004; a master’s degree in public affairs (MPA) from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, where she graduated with distinction; and will earn her Master of Public Health degree from The Ohio State University in summer 2024. Jamie is the recipient of the 2024 Ohio State Community Engaged Practitioner Award.