Christine Cooke Fairbanks is the Education Policy Fellow at Sutherland Institute. Her research focus is education pluralism and school diversity. She was previously the Director of Student Life at the BYU Law School, where she worked with student organizations, accommodations and exams. Christine led education policy research for Sutherland Institute from 2015 to 2021, focusing on innovation in schools, education choice and civics education.

Before entering the public policy world, Christine was an English teacher at a public school and a residential treatment center, both in Utah.

Christine has a bachelor’s degree in English Teaching from Brigham Young University and a law degree from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. During her time in law school, she interned at think tanks and government offices including the Goldwater Institute, the Arizona Office of the Governor, the Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Christine’s commentary has been featured in op-eds and media interviews in national and local news outlets including The Hill, The Daily Signal, Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune, “The Rod Arquette Show” and “A Woman’s View with Amanda Dickson.” Through state committees and working groups, she has advised the Utah State Board of Education on competency-based education and the Utah Legislature on education funding, special education and civics education.

She and her husband have a daughter and live in Arizona.