Dr. Nate Easley

Dr. Easley maintains a consulting business, Easley Found Solutions, LLC, applying more than 30 years of experience in education leadership to providing strategic advice to education nonprofits, foundations, and school districts. Previous leadership roles include serving as: (1) College Track’s Colorado Executive Director, a national organization focused on empowering low-income or first-generation students to earn baccalaureate degrees and transition to the workforce; (2) Founding CEO of The Ganas Network, an initiative to engage ethnically diverse charter school alumni in reforming public education; (3) Founding CEO of RootED, a $25M education champion organization focused on increasing the availability of high-quality public schools in Denver through leveraged investments in educator/leader talent, high performing schools, and a supportive policy environment; (4) CEO of the Denver Scholarship Foundation, a $50M public charity focused on inspiring and empowering Denver Public School (DPS) students to achieve a college education; and (5) President of the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, a $1B school district serving over 90,000 students, the majority of whom were students of color qualifying for free or reduced meals. Prior to returning to Denver in 2008, Dr. Easley worked as Vice President for National and International Programs for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), a national nonprofit dedicated to furthering the expansion of educational opportunities in postsecondary education for low-income and disabled youth and adults.

Dr. Easley has extensive experience helping public school students realize their dream of a college education and securing grant funding to initiate and/or sustain education equity programs. His master’s and doctorate focused on how higher education can better support the academic success and college completion of Black and Latinx students. He has worked at the state, national and international levels to create opportunities for first-generation, low-income, and ethnic minority students.