About Alder Sean O'Brien (he/him)

Alder Sean O’Brien (he/him) was elected to the Madison Common Council on April 1st, 2025, and brings nearly a decade of experience working in and around Government. O’Brien currently serves as the Policy and Advocacy Director at Fair Wisconsin, the state’s only LGBTQ+ civil rights and political advocacy organization. He has been leading the organization’s policy efforts to increase Wisconsin’s nondiscrimination protections, expand public health and protect the rights of those living with HIV. 

Sean first became active in public service during the 2011 Act 10 protests in support of collective bargaining rights for teachers and public employees. In 2016, he worked with For Our Future and interned for State Representative Chris Taylor, shortly before working on Governor Evers’s 2018 campaign and later in his office.

Sean was active on his college campus as the founding voice for the Queer Student Center, the President of Edgewood SAFE, Vice President of the Edgewood College Democrats, and Vice President of the Edgewood College Pre-Law Society. Sean graduated Magna Cum Laude from Edgewood College with a B.S. in Political Science and a minor in Photography.

Sean is a lifelong Madisonian, proud Eagle Scout from Troop 34, and public-school graduate. He lives in the Richmond Hill Neighborhood. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, exploring and photographing the natural landscapes of Wisconsin and cooking for his family and friends.