Elaine Gantz Berman has dedicated her professional work and community service to improving the lives of Colorado’s youth primarily through public education; both preK-12 and higher education. She served on the MSU Denver Board of Trustees; was elected as the Congressional District 1 representative on the Colorado State Board of Education; and served two terms on the Denver Board of Education, four years as its president. Governor Polis, when first elected Governor, named Elaine as co-chair of his education transition committee. Before serving in elected office, Elaine worked for 18 years as a program officer at the Denver-based Piton Foundation- now called Gary Community Ventures. She has served on numerous not-for-profit boards and commissions and helped to found the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the Adoption Exchange, the Colorado Education Initiative, the Colorado Non-Profit Development and the Hart Center for Public Service at MSU Denver. She currently is the founding co-chair of the Colorado Trustee Network. Her commitment to public service was influenced by her late Cuban-born mother, as well as 2 years in Cali, Colombia, where she and her husband worked in community health centers. She holds an MSPH from the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.