POLIS: Agent of change

Democrat, 2nd CD

By Jared Polis, Special to the Rocky

Published October 11, 2008 at 12:01 a.m.

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I have been an agent of change as an entrepreneur and activist for the majority of my life. After starting my first company when I was in high school, I went on to create a variety of different technology companies including bluemoutain.com and proflowers.com and have created hundreds of jobs along the way. All of these experiences have taught me the importance of thinking outside the box and the rewards that come from hard work and innovative ideas.

In my 20s, I began my journey into the world of public service by running to serve on the State Board of Education and creating the Jared Polis Foundation. I served six years on the State Board of Education, and was selected by my colleagues as the first Democratic chairman in more than 30 years. During my tenure, I successfully worked to establish new ways to help schools close the learning gap and to improve access to online education. I helped win increased funding for at-risk students, and worked to improve teacher preparation programs at our colleges and universities. I worked with both Democrats and Republicans toward a common agenda of putting kids first.

I also played a critical political leadership role in building a coalition to successfully pass Amendment 23, which has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for Colorado’s public schools. I co-chaired a successful $300 million school district bond initiative to upgrade learning environments across the district as well as improve energy efficiency. I founded and served as superintendent of the New America School — a school serving more than 1,000 students in Colorado that focuses on empowering immigrants with the educational tools and support they need to learn English, succeed and live the American dream. I co-founded The Academy of Urban Learning with Urban Peak to provide homeless youth and youth in transitional housing an opportunity to earn a high school diploma. I co-chaired the Colorado Commission on High School Improvement and chaired a National Association of State Boards of Education study group on financial literacy. I have also been active in the environmental community and have served on the board of Colorado Conservation Voters.

I couple real-world experience in business, environmental advocacy and public education with enough political experience to know how to get things done. I am ready to go to Washington, D.C., to turn our economy around, end the war, transition to a sustainable energy economy and improve our schools and health care. You can read more at www.polisforcongress.com.

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