Mike Johnston, Founder & Honorary Board Member
Mike Johnston represented Senate District 33 in Northeast Denver in the Colorado State Senate, and was a candidate for Governor of Colorado in 2018. Mike serves as a policy advisor to New Leaders for New Schools. Mike first entered education as a high school English teacher in Greenville, Mississippi, an experience that led him to write his acclaimed book,"In the Deep Heart's Core." After leaving the Mississippi Delta Mike co-founded New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit that recruits and trains urban principals. Mike started his own career as a principal leading two alternative high schools serving Colorado students held in state custody or living in group homes and detention centers. Most recently, Mike was the co-founder and principal of MESA (Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts), a redesigned urban high school in the Mapleton Public Schools that made Colorado history by becoming the first public high school in which 100 percent of seniors were admitted to four-year colleges. He has been an adjunct professor of education law at the University of Denver and has served as an advisor to state and federal political campaigns around the country, most recently as a top education advisor to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and transition. Recently named to Time Magazine's "40 Under 40" and Forbes Magazine's list of the "7 Most Powerful Educators," Mike holds degrees from Yale College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Yale Law School. He sits on the board of many local and national organizations including the "I Have a Dream" Foundation and the Urban League.
Damion LeeNatali, Founder & Honorary Board Member
A Denver native, Damion LeeNatali taught as a high school English teacher in Denver Public Schools as a corps member. Prior to joining TFA staff, Damion served as chief of staff to Colorado Sen. Mike Johnston (Greater Delta ’97), where he helped to author and secure the passage of major school finance reform, co-founded two education-oriented startups, and recruited and led a legislative team recognized by Westword as the “Best Political Staff in Denver.”
Damion attended the University of Arizona on a National Merit scholarship and the University of Colorado Law School. Damion is married to a fellow TFA alum, with whom he shared a classroom as a first-year corps member.