John Leary is a sixth-generation Alexandrian, a life-long Rosemont resident, and a graduate of TC Williams High School. He’s a product of our public schools who is committed to making them work for every student in Alexandria.

John is currently the President-elect of the Maury PTA, and he has served our schools on the School Board Health Advisory Committee.  Whether raising funds for the PTA or helping in the school garden, John has been proud to be part of the community that has worked so hard to improve Maury Elementary School.

His interest in public affairs was developed at TC Williams, where he interned in the United States Senate for Senator Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings.  This experience led him to the University of South Carolina where he worked on education issues in the State Senate Education Committee.  He then provided legislative assistance in the office of the Lieutenant Governor.

Returning to Alexandria after college, John led a yearlong project for the National Education Association focused on ways to meet the difficult political challenges associated with educating children in our country’s largest urban centers.  He spent seven years of his professional career as the Director of Political & Grassroots Membership at the American Medical Association, where he oversaw fundraising for the AMA’s $5 million per cycle political action committee and he directed recruitment and retention of 100,000 physician activists and 1.5 million patient grassroots activists.

John is currently a Vice President at Goddard Claussen, an advocacy communications firm based in Washington, DC and Sacramento, California, where he serves clients with diverse issue interests.

On March 17, 2001, John married Alexandria native Maureen Leary (nee Flynn).  Maureen is a teacher who has been active in community and school issues, particularly those related to early childhood education.  The oldest of their three sons is a rising second grader at Maury. Their two younger sons are following close behind.  Their three sons will spend the next 15 years in our public schools.

When he's not working or spending time with his family, John can be found playing guitar with his band at Art on the Avenue, Alexandria's Earth Day celebration, and venues in Alexandria and Washington, DC.  John also enjoys playing tennis and SCUBA diving.

At a pivotal time for our schools, John hopes to lend his experience, perspective, and skills to developing a community consensus for going forward.  With the arrival of a new Superintendent and the imminent selection of a new Principal at TC, he believes it is essential that the Board and community are in sync to ensure a singular focus on progress.  If elected, John will be a tireless advocate for small class sizes, a challenging curriculum for every student, universal access to preschool, consistency of quality instruction, and an increased focus on environmental sustainability.

While John doesn’t suggest he has the solution to every challenge, he knows that the solutions exist in our community.  He thinks we should focus on the future rather than the past, and he understands that increased transparency and improved communications are the keys to ensuring that our community, our families, our children, and our schools move forward together.