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Leadership in Denver

Our executive director, staff, alumni, board members and partners are committed to building a stronger Denver by supporting and developing our AmeriCorps members as leaders in their schools and community.

Meet John Albright

Senior Vice President and Executive Director

John Albright, Senior Vice President and Executive Director for City Year Denver, is a mission-driven leader with 20 years of experience in public education with a focus on relationship management, organizational and team strategy, partnership cultivation and development, fundraising, communications, policy, and board management and development. Prior to joining City Year Denver, he served with DPS since 2012. Prior he spent 11 years with Adams 14 in Commerce City, serving in various public relations and strategy roles.

As Student Engagement Director, John led the secondary education division’s policy and strategy work on graduation requirements, college and career readiness, student voice and leadership, dropout prevention and intervention, and online acceleration and credit recovery. He frequently engaged with civic and business leadership on matters that have an impact on the district’s success in achieving its mission to provide all students the opportunity to achieve the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing citizens in our society. John was also the project director for the College Ready On Track Network for School Improvement, a Gates Foundation funded effort, which convenes 22 high schools to improve math equity for Black and Latinx students.

John served as Deputy Chief of Staff for DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg from 2012 to 2016, handling a wide range of institutional priorities on behalf of the Chief of Staff and Superintendent. John led coordination and oversight in the implementation of the Denver Plan and the district’s core initiatives, and he served as a liaison between school district staff and the community. In conjunction with the Superintendent and Chief of Staff, John provided policy analysis and strategic consultation to the Board of Education and senior administration on major district issues.

In both roles, John has developed and led strategic partnerships for DPS, including co-chairing the board of the Denver Afterschool Alliance, serving on the boards of the Denver Opportunity Youth Initiative and Denver Education Attainment Network, coordinating joint initiatives with the Denver Housing Authority, and representing DPS on the governance council for the Globeville-Elyria-Swansea United Neighborhoods initiative through Mile High United Way. John was also the lead partner on the Mayor’s citywide student ID project – MY Denver Card – to provide all students in grades six through 12 free access to Denver Parks and Recreation facilities, libraries and cultural institutions.

Prior to joining DPS, John served as Chief Communications and Strategy Officer for Adams 14, where he oversaw the strategic direction of the district and managed all communications and public relations initiatives. John also managed external partnerships, competitive grants, strategy and performance management, dropout prevention and graduation improvement, adult education programs, before and after school programs, the homeless student intervention program and district level discipline. For two school years, John spent 20 percent of his time as a classroom walk-through team leader, providing support to principals and teachers through informal coaching and feedback.

As a former television producer, John’s passion for storytelling through video brought him to a career in education. Building on this passion, during his time in Commerce City, he developed the Adams 14 Film Festival as a way to ensure all students in the district had the opportunity to tell their own stories and could access technology in the classroom.

John is an accomplished presenter and public speaker – representing DPS and previously Adams 14 at the local, state and national levels. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast production management from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

In his free time, John thrives on family fun with his two high school teenagers. He enjoys fly fishing, snowboarding, playing drums and experiencing live music, reading, and enjoying the beauty of Colorado with friends and family.

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