Bonnie O’Keefe is a senior associate partner at Bellwether in the Policy and Evaluation practice area. 

Bonnie has spent her career advancing equitable and effective policies to build systems that support better outcomes for children and families. In her role, she leads teams that answer educational policy questions for advocates, foundations, districts, and policymakers across the country. Bonnie also co-leads Bellwether’s state K-12 school finance portfolio and has expertise in state pre-K through grade 12 policy, early childhood education, assessment and accountability, and resource equity. Since joining Bellwether in 2016, Bonnie’s research and commentary includes more than 30 publications that have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, NBC News, USA Today, and The 74, among others. 

Prior to Bellwether, Bonnie was an assessment specialist at the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Bonnie led assessment policy development and delivered training and technical assistance for schools in the successful transition to new, computer-based state assessments. She also worked for DC Action, a child advocacy organization with a birth through age eight policy focus. There, Bonnie authored reports on topics such as child care and early intervention, advocated for improvements in resource allocation, and coordinated the DC KIDS COUNT project, including launching an interactive, neighborhood-level map of child well-being in the District of Columbia. Bonnie’s interest in education policy began in politics, while supporting women running for public office as political programs coordinator for She Should Run.

Bonnie earned a master’s degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Williams College.