Denise Forte

Denise Forte is the CEO at The Education Trust, a national advocacy organization often described as “the most important truth teller” in American public education.

As one of the country’s leading voices on education equity, Denise is a fierce advocate for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. She is on the forefront of engaging policymakers and diverse coalitions of advocates to advance progressive state and federal education legislation.

Her lifetime of service includes 20 years in senior congressional staff roles on Capitol Hill, and a stint in the executive branch, serving in the Obama administration as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development in the Department of Education.

Prior to Ed Trust, Denise was a Senior Fellow and Director of Public Affairs for The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. She also has served as the Vice President for Policy Leadership at Leadership for Educational Equity, a nonprofit organization supporting current and former teachers in public leadership.

Denise has a B.S. in Computer Science from Duke University, and a M.A. in Women’s Studies from the George Washington University. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C.