Executive Director of Minds Matter Colorado

Executive Director of Minds Matter Colorado

Minds Matter Colorado connects driven and determined students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world.

Bridging the gap between potential and opportunity, Minds Matter Colorado empowers high-achieving high school students from low-income families to thrive at the college of their choice, graduate with purpose, and launch fulfilling careers that enable upward economic mobility.

Minds Matter Colorado was founded in 2004. Our three-year program, beginning in the tenth grade, provides robust wrap-around support, including 2:2 mentoring with dedicated volunteers, individualized college and career coaching, weekly college readiness, career exploration, and life skills curriculum, enrollment in pre-collegiate summer programs at top-tier postsecondary institutions, guaranteed acceptance into college through strategic higher education partnerships, and scholarship support.

For more than two decades, 100% of Minds Matter Colorado seniors have gained admission to a four-year college or university — with scholarships to help pay for it.

The Minds Matter programming model includes the following for all students at no cost:

• People: Intensive mentorship
• Preparation: Rigorous after-school college-readiness programming, and
• Possibilities: Attendance at summer experiences on college campuses

The Executive Director (ED) will lead a high-performing organization with a proven model for college and career success and a 20-year track record of transformational outcomes for Colorado students. You will guide a committed staff and volunteer community, support donor relationships and fundraising activities, deepen partnerships across the state, and shape the strategy that advances access, opportunity, and economic mobility for students from low-income families. You will have the foundational support of an experienced and capable Board of Directors, an engaged Associate Board of Directors, and a connected Board of Trustees. For a leader who is energized by relationships, organizational stewardship, and measurable impact, this role offers the rare chance to both safeguard a proven model and innovate for the future.

Reporting to the MMCO Board of Directors, the ED will work in close, transparent partnership with Board leadership and collaborate with local stakeholders and partners, fellow Minds Matter chapters, and the National team to optimize the work in Colorado. The ideal Executive Director is a trusted, relationship‑driven leader who cultivates a strong internal culture while representing Minds Matter Colorado with authenticity and credibility in the community. They build deep trust with staff and volunteers, cultivate powerful partnerships with funders and stakeholders, and serve as a visible advocate for educational equity and the transformative power of mentorship.

The ED will hold strategic and operational leadership for the organization, guiding a committed staff and a dedicated corps of volunteers in genuine partnership with an engaged Board of Directors. As an experienced and entrepreneurial professional, the ED's primary focus will be ensuring the overall health of organizational operations and culture, fundraising for sustainability, and strengthening and evolving programming. To be successful, the ED must be an effective, transparent communicator who is energized by building relationships across a diverse set of stakeholders. Key focus areas for the first years will include leading the creation and execution of a multi-year strategic plan to enable our strategic future vision of serving 200 high school students by FY 2030 while maintaining a high-quality program, strengthening fundraising and development, and diversifying revenue streams.

MMCO has four employees in addition to the ED and an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million. The organization serves 110 students across 15 partner high schools, and is supported by 190+ volunteers and a Board of Directors.

Major functions and responsibilities include:

• Organizational Strategy & Execution
• Team Leadership and Management
• Fundraising and Board Leadership

Qualifications and experiences include:

• Progressive senior-level leadership experience leading, managing, and growing a performance and outcomes-based department, organization, or enterprise, preferably within the educational, nonprofit, or philanthropic sectors.
• Established relationships and a strong network across the Denver metro area and Colorado — spanning the philanthropic, education, business, and civic communities — with the credibility and presence to serve as a visible face of the organization locally.
• A collaborative, transparent leadership style, with a track record of earning the trust of and retaining experienced teams and of working in genuine partnership with a board.
• Exceptional oral and written communication and public engagement skills, including adapting style and approach to diverse constituencies and needs.
• Thrives in a lean, fast-paced, highly collaborative, and entrepreneurial environment; has the integrity, wisdom, persistence, and humor necessary to address the practicalities of a dynamic organization.
• Self-motivated problem solver with maturity and tact to collaborate effectively with colleagues, Board Members, external partners, and team members.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Dedicated to active and ongoing learning, understanding one's identity, power, and privilege, and acknowledging the intersectional identities of students, staff, volunteers, and the Board.
• Employs strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills to overcome challenges by developing equity-based and creative solutions.
• A proven track record and passion for fundraising with a commitment to maintaining current funders, a zest for cultivating new donors, an ability to generate new revenue streams, and a history of taking organizations to the next level of sustained philanthropic support.
• Demonstrated experience leading through organizational change and growth.
• Experience working with driven and determined students from low-income families.
• Experience in education, training, curriculum, programming or a related area, preferably in the college and career success field.
• Experience managing or partnering with volunteers.
• Experience managing budgets and forecasting financial performance.

Benefits

Compensation, benefits, and location:

• Base salary is $135,000-$150,000
• Excellent benefits, including flexible work schedule with unlimited PTO
• Healthcare insurance
• Monthly contribution to retirement plan with up to 4% matching
• Monthly cell phone contribution of $50
• A professional development allocation that can cover memberships, executive coaching or other professional enhancement opportunities

This is a hybrid role based in the Denver Metro Area. This includes:

• Weekly in-office days as agreed with the organization and staff.
• Attending Monday night program sessions
• Donor and partner meetings across the greater Denver metro region
• Bi-monthly board meetings and regular board committee meetings
• Other MMCO events within and outside normal business hours as needed.

MMCO maintains office space in central Denver, and desk space is available. Additionally, the Executive Director will travel to any relevant locations in the broader Denver Metro Area to meet donors, volunteers, or partners. They will also travel once a year to the National Minds Matter conference. Travel may also include broader state travel as needed for potential expansion.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter that specifically answers these questions to this link:

How do you understand the mission of Minds Matter Colorado and what makes you passionate about leading that organization? If you have an existing connection to MMCO, please describe.

Our Board has an ambitious plan for growing the number of students we are serving while maintaining a high level of quality in the programming. What experiences and skills make you equipped to lead this change and manage potentially competing priorities?

How would you describe your approach to leadership, and how do you believe it would position MMCO for success?

For confidential inquiries or assistance in completing the application, please contact Stefan Ramsbott at [email protected] and Claire Wilder at [email protected]. TIMELINE AND HIRING PROCESS We will review and respond to all applications received. While subject to change, candidates selected to advance can expect two interviews with ZIM Consulting, an interview with members of the Hiring Committee (representatives of the Board and staff), and — for finalists — an interview day with Board members, staff, and community members, including a robust reference check process and background check. The expected start date is September/October 2026. Minds Matter Colorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out-of-home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status,