CultivatED Colorado

Damion is a consultant with expertise in policy, impact investing, and entrepreneurship. He is currently the President at TRAILS, a national organization focused on providing equitable access to mental health services for all children and teens. A former teacher and current charter school parent, he believes deeply in innovative education for all students.

Leslie believes deeply that community-driven policy change is a critical lever for education transformation. She currently serves as the first Director of Policy at Transcend, where she leads the organization’s efforts to elevate the voices and insights of school communities directly to policy leaders so that policy can better support effective and enduring innovation in schools.

Before joining Transcend in 2023, Leslie spent almost a decade leading policy and advocacy work to improve K-12 education and youth outcomes as the Vice President for Education Initiatives at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. Leslie began her career teaching sixth-grade math and earth science at Bethune Middle School in Los Angeles, where she also worked on Teach For America’s national alumni team. She returned to her home state of Colorado to work in the state legislature, where she managed coalition work for legislation such as Colorado’s READ Act and developed and directed the first three years of the Urban Leaders Fellowship, a policy fellowship that has since expanded to 10 regions with more than 900 alumni. Leslie also worked at the Keystone Policy Center, where she initiated and facilitated the first education-focused stakeholder engagement work that Keystone had ever done. Leslie lives in Denver with her partner, daughters Maya and Lucia, and pup Pepper.

Jamita Horton, Ed.D., is the Executive Director of Teach Plus Colorado, where she spearheads initiatives to empower educators and influence education policy to create equitable opportunities for all students. Dr. Horton's work is grounded in a strong commitment to fostering an education system that is responsive and prepares students for post secondary success.

Before joining Teach Plus, Dr. Horton was the Executive Policy Officer at the Public Educatioon & Business Coalition, representing the organization in crucial stakeholder meetings with legislators, agency leaders, and partners, focusing on advancement of early childhood education.

Dr. Horton's career spans over a decade as an educator, advocate, and leader, including positions as an assistant principal in Southwest Denver and as a Senior Research Fellow with Teach Plus. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in International Studies and Women's Studies with an Education Policy Certificate from the University of Wisconsin, a Master's degree in Education from Cardinal Stritch University, which she completed during her time as a Teach for America corps member.

With a strong commitment to equity and justice, Dr. Horton brings her expertise and passion to amplify educator voices and drive transformative policy changes at Teach Plus Colorado.

Scott is on a mission to make students’ learning less boring and more meaningful and relevant. From his home base at the University of Colorado Denver, he works side-by-side with educators to redesign larger systems and day-to-day instruction. Scott dreams macro but can design micro.

Sarah's done it all: led classrooms, built a Montessori microschool, supported charter networks, and even world-schooled her kids. She gets the nuance of every model and brings unmatched wisdom to the table. Now at Donnell-Kay, she helps CultivatED cultivate what's next in Colorado's education ecosystem.