Caitlin O’Halloran Hellar is the Governance & Policy Specialist at CSDC. Caitlin leads the development and delivery of CSDC’s Governance offering, including our Online Governance Academy, and is CSDC’s main point of contact for matters relating to governance, advocacy, policy and other charter school leadership topics. Caitlin began her career working for legislators in the California State Assembly and later in the Senate. She also served as a committee consultant and a lobbyist during the more than two decades she helped craft public policy. Additionally, during her career in public service, she worked on behalf of county governments and the California Department of Education. O’Halloran staffed bills related to education and human services, including, AB 602 (1997), a landmark special education funding reform bill.
In 2004, Caitlin co-founded the Dixon Montessori Charter School (DMCS). In 2013 she was appointed to and continues to serve on the Dixon Unified School District Governing Board which authorizes DMCS. She also served one term on the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools. Caitlin has been a workshop presenter at statewide educational conferences, a commentator on public radio, and was the Woman of the Year for Senate District 03 in 2016. Caitlin holds a BA in Government with a minor in History from Mills College.
