Conference - Featured Speakers

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CONFERENCE INFORMATION	EVENT REGISTRATION	EVENT SCHEDULE	BREAKOUT SESSIONS	FEATURED SPEAKERS
CHARTER FRIEND AWARDS	EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES	SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES	HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS	FAQ's

Featured Speakers

Senator Mike Johnston
Mike Johnston represents Northeast Denver in the Colorado State Senate and serves as a policy advisor to New Leaders for New Schools. Mike first entered education as a high school English teacher in Greenville, Mississippi, an experience that led him to write his acclaimed book, "In the Deep Heart's Core." After leaving the Mississippi Delta Mike co-founded New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit that recruits and trains urban principals. Mike started his own career as a principal leading two alternative high schools serving Colorado students held in state custody or living in group homes and detention centers. Most recently, Mike was the co-founder and principal of MESA (Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts), a redesigned urban high school in the Mapleton Public Schools that made Colorado history by becoming the first public high school in which 100 percent of seniors were admitted to four-year colleges.

He has been an adjunct professor of education law at the University of Denver and has served as an advisor to state and federal political campaigns around the country, most recently as a top education advisor to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and transition. Recently named to Time Magazine’s “40 Under 40” and Forbes Magazine’s list of the “7 Most Powerful Educators,” Mike holds degrees from Yale College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Yale Law School. He sits on the board of many local and national organizations including the “I Have a Dream” Foundation and the Urban League. He lives in Northeast Denver with his wife Courtney, who is Deputy District Attorney in Denver, their two sons Emmet and Seamus, and their new baby girl Ava.

Dr. Caprice Young
A nationally respected education innovator, Dr. Young is known for working skillfully across major sectors, having held top leadership positions in technology, education, government and business. She has served as the Assistant Deputy Mayor of the City of Los Angeles; a Principal in IBM’s eBusiness consulting practice; founding CEO/President of the California Charter Schools Association; CEO/President of KC Distance learning, an instructional technology company serving over 170,000 students; CEO of the Inner City Education Foundation Public Schools; CEO/President of EnCorps, a non-profit organization recruiting and training new STEM teachers; and Vice President of Education for the John and Laura Arnold Foundation,.

Dr. Young also has served on numerous boards, including the Board of Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District, on which she served as president, as well as the Governor's Advisory Committee on Education Excellence (California), the Fordham Foundation, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, among others. She is a recipient of the Coro Foundation Crystal Eagle Award for Achievement in Public Service. She earned her bachelor's degree from Yale University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and her Doctorate of Education from the University of California, Los Angeles (where she currently teaches). She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and three girls.