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STATES WE WORK IN » COLORADO

This is more than the story of America’s educational crisis. It’s the story of how we can solve it.

There’s a crisis in American education. Too many kids from low-income families are falling between the cracks simply because they’re stuck in failing schools and can’t afford any other options. It’s happening right here in Colorado where only 70.9% of students from low-income families graduate from high school.

ACE Scholarships was founded in Colorado in 2000 to provide low-income families with school choice through partial scholarships to K-12 private schools. ACE serves children whose families qualify for the federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program and the average income for our ACE families is $47,878 a year.

So far in Colorado we’ve awarded over 29,000 scholarships with a cumulative worth of more than $63M, helping to send kids from low-income families to the schools of their choice. And the results are amazing with a 99% high school graduation rate for the ACE Class of 2020 in Colorado. Moreover, they are enrolling in and graduating from college at rates similar to kids from predominantly high-income high schools. To learn more about ACE Colorado’s success, take a look at our third-party research report, click here.

93% OF STUDENTS
from low-income families with ACE scholarships graduated high school in 2020
ONLY 70.9%
of students from Colorado’s low-income families graduate
WE’RE HELPING 2,361 KIDS
But with your support, we can help fill over 10,000 empty seats

Give a child the promise of a better tomorrow by becoming a donor today.

Please help us fill the 10,000 open desks all over Colorado, and let’s give children from low-income families the opportunity for a great education and a lifetime of success.

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Board of Trustees

KEVIN AHERN Managing Partner, Brush Creek Partners

AUSTIN AKERS CEO, Bison Oil & Gas

DON BAILEY Chairman & CEO, Triton Investment Company

BILL BERGNER President, Berco Resources, LLC

ED BERNAU Denver, CO

GRAYDON BEVIS CEO, Pella Windows & Doors of Colorado, Inc

MARK BRINKERHOFF Managing Partner, Brinkerhoff Hospitality

DICK BROWN Denver, CO

TONY BUCHANON President & CEO, Crestone Peak Resources

MATT CALL Principal & CEO, NavPoint Real Estate Group

PATRICK CALLAHAN Live Water Properties

BLAKE CARLSON Partner, Carlson Land Development, LLC

GEORGE CAULKINS Principal, Greendeck Capital

SCOTT CLARK Chairman and CEO, The True Life Companies

MEG DUKE Denver, CO

JASON DUNN Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck, LLP

LORI DURHAM Denver, CO

RICK ELDRIDGE President & CEO, Intuitive Companies

GREGG ENGLES Partner, Capital Peak Partners

JAMES EVANS Lobo Logistics

DARREN FISK Founder, CEO/CIO, Forum Real Estate Group

NATE FORD Partner, Perkins Coie, LLP

JOHN FOX Chairman, Augusta Jane Oil & Gas, LLC

MIKE FRIES President & CEO, Liberty Global, Inc.

CALEB GATES Denver, CO

JOHN GRIER President, Crimson Midstream, LLC

TOM HAMILTON President, HF Corp

DAVE HUNTER Chairman, Financial Designs Ltd.

LOU HUTCHISON President, H-D Asset Management, LLC

JOHN IKARD Denver, CO

BRANDON JOHNSON CEO, Johnson Financial Group

MIKE JOHNSON President, Johnson GEO

TOM JORDEN Chairman, CEO & President, Cimarex Energy Company

MIKE KENNEDY President, Point Rider Real Estate LLC

ERIC KOEPLIN President and CEO, Alpha Principle

DON LAW President, Prima Exploration, Inc.

STEVE LOCKTON Owner, Lockton Companies of Colorado, Inc

SHARON MAFFEI Principal, SAM Lifestyles

JONATHAN MARSICO Owner, Ship Sticks

MARK MCCAMMON Managing Partner, Strength Capital

SCOTT MCLEAN Interim President, ACE Scholarships

KELLY MILLEN Denver, CO

TIM MILLER Chairman, Pivot Point Ventures

KEVIN MIZE Founder, KM Investments

NICK MORRIS CEO, Western Paper Distributors

JIMMY MULVIHILL Academy Partners Group, LLC

RALPH NAGEL President, Top Rock Investments, LLC

JOE NIEBUR President / Owner, Niebur Development, Inc.

MICHAEL O'SHAUGHNESSY President, Lario Oil & Gas Co.

BILL OWENS Senior Director, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

WALT RAKOWICH Retired CEO, ProLogis Foundation

SCOTT REIMAN President, Hexagon, Inc.

PERRY RICKEL Founder & CEO, Marrick Medical Finance, LLC

AUDREY ROBERTSON Co-Founder & CFO, Franklin Mountain Energy, LLC

KRISTINE ROBERTSON Denver, CO

JON ROBINSON EVP Regional Chief Credit Officer, UMB Bank of Colorado, N.A.

JEFF ROSS President & CEO, Ross Aviation

JAMIE SABATIER CEO, J Sabatier and Company

CRAIG SAEMAN Chief Development Officer, Catholic Charities of Denver

DICK SAUNDERS Founder, Saunders Construction, Inc.

ADAM SAYERS President, Axia Energy II, LLC

RICK SCHMITZ Partner, SKS Ventures, LLC

MARK SEXTON Chairman & CEO, Evergreen National Resources

TERRY SHADWICK BarnLight Capital LLC

JOE SMITH Partner, Bartlit Beck LLP

GEORGE SOLICH President, FourPoint Energy, LLC

MICHAEL STARZER Managing Partner, Sixth Creek Energy

BETSEY UNGER Denver, CO

WOUTER VAN KEMPEN CEO, DCP Midstream, LLC

GREG VIGIL Principal, Castle Rock Resources II, LLC

TIM WALSH CEO & Founder, Confluence Companies, LLC

MIKE WARD Owner, Mike Ward Automotive

DICK WEIL CEO, Janus Capital Group

PETER WELLS Chairman, Wells Property Holdings, LLC

CHARLES WESLEY CEO, Thoroughbred Resources

DON WOLF CEO, Enduring Resources, LLC

JOHN  WOODWARD Partner, Spierer, Woodward, Corbalis, and Goldberg, P.C

CHRIS WRIGHT CEO, Liberty Oilfield Services, LLC  

Board of Advisors

ANDY AYE Colorado Market President, U.S. Bank

CHRISTIAN BIENVENU Managing Director, SVP, Sr. Relationship Manager, PNC Bank, N.A.

GABE BODHI CEO, Tekton Group

CHRIS BROWN Vice President, CRH Americas

LINDSAY BROWN Executive Vice President, Hughes Marino

STEVE BURETZ Senior Vice President, CAZ Investments, LP

TONY BURKE President, Pinkard Construction 

ENRICO CACCIORNI Managing Partner, Red Lodge Development, LLC

JUDY CAIN Partner, Plante Moran

WAYNE CAVANAUGH Founder & CEO, Ninja Nation

COURTNEE CHUN SVP of Investor Relations, Liberty Media Corporation

MIKE CORBETT Vice President, Innovest Portfolio Solutions, LLC

MELISSA CORRADO-HARRISON Managing Director - Wealth Management, Corrado Harrison & Associates

IAN DICKINSON Denver, CO

STACEY DUKE President & Managing Partner, BDO

LEIGH DUNN Manager/VP of Philanthropy, Engineered Demolition, Inc.

ANN DURHAM LIV Sotheby’s International Realty Advisor, Anne Durham Properties

JAE EDWARDS Principal & Co-Founder, Dublin Development

MIKE FARGHER Denver, CO

TRACY FORST Managing Director, Aon Risk Solutions

NORM FRANKE Regional President, Alpine Bank

JOHN FREYER President, Land Title Guarantee Company

JENNIFER GILLILAND Denver, CO

SERGIO GUTIERREZ JP Morgan Chase Foundation

RONETTE HALL Denver, CO

NATASHA HARRIS Principal/Manager, Biegert Group, Inc.

JOHN HILL CEO, Quince Associates

MIKE HOMMEL Owner, Designs by Sundown

ERIN HUTCHINSON COO, Vehicle Vault

BRIAN JUMPS Member, Jumps Law

CRAIG KINARD Managing Director - Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch, The Kinard Group

JON L. KINNING EVP/COO, RK Mechanical, Inc.

KURT KITTLESON President & CEO, K2 Commodities LLC

MARK KORELL Principal, Tower Rock Investments, LLC

JEFF LANG VP Energy Practices, IMA Financial Group, Inc.

BRUCE MACDONALD Owner & President, MacDonald Hardwoods Co. Inc.

TRAVIS MCAFOOS Principal, Ketro Real Estate

MIKE MCCUBBIN Vice President, IMA Financial Group, Inc.

MARVIN MCDANIEL Denver, CO

WALKER MONFORT Vice President, Corporate Sales, Colorado Rockies Baseball Club

SARA MONTGOMERY Wealth Transfer Specialist, Planta Moran

FRANK NESSINGER Executive Vice President, FourPoint Energy, LLC

ADAM OSTERMILLER Vice President, Strategic Business Development, LPL Financial

CARL PISKE President, Alta Products LLC

JB RICHARDSON COO, Cherry Creek, Insurance Agency, Inc.

AUDREY ROBERTSON Co-Founder & CFO, Franklin Mountain Energy, LLC

GREGORY SCHMIDT President, Saunders Construction, Inc.

MELANIE SCHMIEDING Director, Baird

NATE SCHNABEL Owner, NAS Properties

BARRY SHAMES Business Consultant, Cairn Strategies

MATT SMITH Partner, Holland & Hart LLP

REED SMITH SVP, Employee Benefits Practice Leader, BOK Financial

JUSTIN SOUCIE CEO & CIO, G&S Capital, LLC

BRETT SPITZER EVP and Managing Director, NAI Global Corporate Solutions

JENNA STAPLETON Executive Director, Harmes C. Fishback Foundation Trust

MARK STONEHOCKER Manager, Stonehocker Farms, LLC

STEPHEN STOREY Partner, BPT Performance Consulting

RYAN SULLIVAN Founder, Waypoints Energy

ADAM TRUITT Principal, Financial Designs, Ltd.

MATT TURNER Managing Partner, MorningStar Senior Living

MICHAEL TURNER Chairman of the Board, RevGen Partners

BERT WILLIAMS COO, Johnson Financial Group, LLC

PAUL WILLIAMSON President, Colorado Region, UMB Bank of Colorado, N.A.

Associate Board

MARTHA BORRE Associate Managing Director, CIBC Bank USA

WES BRADISH Managing Director, Ziegler Investment Banking

MARGARITA BRAVO Chief Creative Officer, Margarita Bravo Design

EVAN BURDEN Consultant, Voluntary Solutions Inc.

BROOKE CARNIE Manager of Suite Services, Denver Broncos Football Club 

TOM FITZGERALD CEO, Fitzgerald Investment Management Company 

DAVID FOLEY Principal, Makers Commercial

CHRIS FORDYCE President/Owner, Fordyce Consulting LLC

JOHN FRANCE Managing Partner, Rose Gate Ventures

BRANDON GILES Denver, CO

LUCAS GIOKAS Executive Director, JP Morgan

RYAN GOETHALS VP of Group Protection Sales, West Region, Lincoln Financial Group

KELSEY GOLDBERG Account Executive, Zoom Video Communications

KATHERINE GOWDEY Agent, Compass and Foss Resources

BRIAN HARTLEY Vice President/Broker, Live Water Properties

KELLY JOHNSON Vice President, Legal, Liberty Global, Inc.

RYAN LAWLESS Principal, Renegade Properties

MATT LENGEL Wealth Management Advisor, Denver Private Wealth Management

ZACH LEONARD Managing Director, CIBC Bank USA

GREG LITVAK  Principal, Highlands Vista Group

CHANCY LOVE Managing Partner, Protera Investments, LLC 

AUSTIN MCKEE Managing Director, Eagle River Energy Advisors

CALEB NEUMEYER Vice President, Bank of Colorado

MAGGIE O'NEIL V.P. Investor Relations & Communications, NAI Legacy

JOHN OBERING President, Helm Energy, LLC

MAGGIE O'NEILL VP, Investor Relations & Communications, NAI Legacy

ROB PEIRCE Executive Vice President, USI Colorado

NATALIE PIQUETTE, Division Manager, Accounting and Finance, Bradsby Group

JESSICA RAUZI Managing Director, Sales and Client Management, Unum Group

ALEX RIGGS Vice President, Production, Essex Financial Group

MARGO SIMPSON Denver, CO

SEAN SJODIN Owner, Sjodin Consulting, LLC

MATT SKOTAK, Senior Trust Advisor, Wells Fargo Bank

CHARLIE SMITH Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Schreck, LLP

JARED SMITH President, Reliance Workforce

GUS SPAULDING Managing Director, Wealth Advisor, Cresset Capital

MATT TRACEY Marketer, United Energy Trading, LLC

JULIE VILLALOBOS Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Gradient Energy Services

WESLEY WEISE Senior Vice President, Bank of America Private Bank

MARY ANN WHETZAL HR Director, Liberty Oilfield Services, LLC

CASHIN WHITE SVP/Director of Business Banking, BOK Financial

ANNE ZELLNER Lead Assistant General Counsel, Xcel Energy, Inc.

Colorado Staff

ERIK BILLINGER Vice President of Development - CO
p: 303.519.7475
e: ebillinger@acescholarships.org

JEFFREY VAN CLEAVE Program Coordinator (Scholarship Contact)
p: 303.407.0627
e: jvancleave@acescholarships.org

BRITTANI O'BRIEN Vice President, Development - CO
p: 303.407.0622
e: bobrien@acescholarships.org

Are you interested in receiving an ACE scholarship?
Click here »
Are you a private school that wants to partner with ACE?
Click here »

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