Mairead is a Communications Specialist at EdChoice where she manages our flagship publications and promotes our research, breaking down complex data on school choice into clear and compelling narratives for parents, legislators, the media, and the public.
Before joining EdChoice, Mairead spent a decade in journalism, most recently as an investigative reporter for The Daily Wire where she broke major stories on education and was a founding member of the Morning Wire podcast team. Prior to that she reported for National Review, Fox News, the Washington Examiner, and other outlets from New York City and Washington, D.C., frequently appearing on TV, radio, and major news podcasts.
Mairead was born and raised near Poughkeepsie, New York and was homeschooled K-12, graduating from Thomas Aquinas College in California. She now lives in beautiful northern Virginia with her husband.
Favorite Quote
“All I want is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.”
– John Masefield and Captain James T. Kirk
Favorite Teacher/Class:
My mommy! Every class, K-12. Honorable mention to the late great Mr. Larry Shields, my college thesis advisor. He did not have one lung despite the rumors.
High School Mascot:
St. Joseph and whichever of my eight younger siblings was the baby that year
Favorite Pastime:
Laughing about dumb reality TV with my husband and babysitting my nephews
Inspiration for joining the school choice movement:
I was blessed to have parents who sacrificed mightily to homeschool me from kindergarten through high school, so I have always supported school choice. However, I was galvanized on the issue in the wake of the pandemic when swaths of parents pulled their kids out of public school, outraged by curricula and school policies that conflicted with their values as well as stringent Covid rules and devastating learning loss. Those parents and all parents deserve options, and my hope is that universal school choice is eventually available to every child in this country.