Jane McEnaney

North Carolina

Jane McEnaney leads State Policy Network’s K-12 education program, overseeing advocacy strategy to expand and defend education freedom so that more families are empowered to access a values-aligned, best-fit learning environment for their children. Since directing SPN’s affiliate grantmaking for education issue campaigns, Jane and her team have contributed to more than 40 K-12 policy wins in 26 states, optimizing student outcomes so that the next generation of Americans are prepared to face 21st century challenges.

Before SPN, Jane co-founded a 501(c)(4) in her hometown of Chicago that successfully made direct education funding a dominant issue in the city’s 2023 mayoral election by propelling a pro-school choice candidate into the runoff, increasing his fundraising 18x and popularity among voters by 860%. She also served as communications director for the Illinois House Republican caucus and as Midwest executive director for a national tech trade association, promoting the growth of the innovation economy on behalf of 80+ companies across 11 states.

Jane held senior leadership roles under Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and was a lead negotiator for the state’s 2017 education finance reform, which contained the Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarship program. Prior to representing the executive branch on the House floor, Jane was the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Illinois Department of Revenue, during which time her office was recognized for advancing pro-growth tax policy and awarded the 2016 Outstanding Achievement in State Tax Reform by the Tax Foundation.

Prior to joining the Rauner administration, Jane managed government affairs for the Illinois Policy Institute (SPN’s Illinois affiliate), during which time she became the youngest registered lobbyist in state history. Before becoming a true believer in the primacy of states’ rights, Jane cut her teeth in the war room headquarters of Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and in Paul Ryan’s Capitol Hill office in 2011.