Clarence Burton Jr. (he/him) was raised in and out of foster care and attended nine schools by the time he reached high school. There he became involved with a foster youth advocacy program, igniting his passion for community organizing and advocating for policy change to address the challenges faced by underrepresented communities. Clarence was the first person in his family to graduate from high school and went on to earn a B.A in Political Science from UCLA. As CEO of Denver Families for Public Schools, Clarence has the privilege of working arm-in-arm with public education advocates throughout the city to build a future where all students in Denver, especially those furthest from opportunity, have access to a high quality education.
Clarence joined City Year Denver after college, an education-focused organization dedicated to helping schools and students succeed. In this role, he served the Montbello High School campus in northeast Denver, providing students with academic tutoring, mentorship, and afterschool programming to help them stay in school and on track to graduate.
After leaving City Year, Clarence worked for Colorado’s Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC), where he supported public policy and communications related to their work to design professional learning opportunities with school districts, school leaders and educators. He also served as the State Director for Colorado for Older Adults Technology Services.
In addition to his nonprofit and policy work, Clarence has served as Chief of Staff in the Colorado state legislature, as well as a campaign manager and organizing director for several local and statewide campaigns. These roles deepen his commitment to building systems that reflect and respond to the needs of communities.