Mateo Dunne

Mateo Dunne is the only "teacher endorsed" candidate who is running to represent the Mount Vernon District on the Fairfax County School Board. He is a longtime resident, community leader, and a lifelong advocate for children, families, and educators. 

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Mateo moved to Fairfax County 20 years ago so his children could attend the best public schools, specifically Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).​

• FCPS Family: His children attended FCPS from 1st Grade onwards.

• Multicultural Family: His wife is a second-generation immigrant whose parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s. Their kids learned Spanish as their first language.

• Military Family: His daughter is in the ROTC program at Virginia Tech, and his son is in the National Guard. 

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Mateo is a seasoned attorney and entrepreneur. He established a successful consulting business, helped to build a $400 million agency from scratch, and led a comprehensive overhaul of a $2 billion agency. 

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Mateo values education. He has three graduate degrees. He also comes from a family of educators: his grandmother, mother, sister, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law are teachers, and his wife is the director of a local preschool. 

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Mateo understands the transformative power of education.

• During his senior year in high school, his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His family struggled after his father's death, but through hard work and student loans, Mateo graduated summa cum laude from Emory University and attended law school at Georgetown University. 

• His wife's parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, but through good schools and hard work, their daughters attended college and realized the American Dream.

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Mateo has served as an educator inside and outside of the classroom. 

• He coached hundreds of children in recreational and travel soccer. 

• He taught dozens of 5th and 6th Graders in religious education.

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Mateo is an education advocate who was named Supervisor Dan Storck's inaugural M0unt Vernon District Community Champion in 2018. 

• In 2015-16, Mateo co-led a coalition of advocacy groups, teachers unions, and PTAs to save high school sports, music education, and language immersion from elimination. 

• In 2017, Mateo played a leading role in a campaign to diversify revenue sources for FCPS and reduce reliance on property taxes.

• In 2017-21, Mateo co-led multiple School Bond campaigns in the Mount Vernon District to secure funding to renovate public schools and eliminate trailers.

• In 2018, Mateo played a leading role in restricting School Resource Officers' involvement in school discipline.

• In 2018-21, Mateo served as Chair of the Design & Construction Committee for the renovation of West Potomac HS, which resolved significant overcrowding and eliminated 18 trailers while enhancing safety and security.

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Mateo is a community leader in the Mount Vernon District and Fairfax County:

• Mateo has served as Vice President for the Stratford Landing Citizens Association since 2021. 

• For two years, Mateo served as Vice President of Advocacy for the Fairfax County Council PTA, representing 170+ PTAs and 40,000 members at the state and local levels. 

• For three years, Mateo served as 1st Vice President for the Fairfax Federation of Citizens Associations.

• Since 2021, Mateo has served on Good Shepherd Housing’s Community Advisory Panel.