CEO and Founder, Lyra

Mary Seawell is the founder and CEO of Lyra, a Colorado-based nonprofit that focuses on creating innovation in the K-12 education system. Lyra’s largest initiative is Climatarium which focuses on climate education. Lyra was the driving force behind the creation and implementation of the Seal of Climate Literacy, a Colorado high school diploma endorsement which students attain through coursework and experiential learning.  In its first full year since being signed into law, over 420 students attained the Seal with over half being from traditionally underrepresented students including students of color, low-income, and/or rural.

Mary spent more than a decade leading the education portfolio at Denver-based Gates Family Foundation (GFF) where she has significantly influenced public education, especially in areas like school district governance, rural school innovation, and public policy. During her tenure at GFF, Mary helped to create and launch a number of innovative education initiatives, including Denver’s first autonomous innovation zone, the Luminary Learning Network (LLN), and RootED, Denver’s education quarterback.

In 2009, Mary was elected to the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education and served as President from 2011-2013.  A proud parent of three DPS graduates, Mary is passionate about advancing equity in public education. Mary received a regional Emmy for her role as Executive Producer of “Standing in the Gap,” a documentary exploring the history of Denver Public Schools’ efforts to integrate and close opportunity gaps. Mary has a JD from the University of Denver and a BA in Journalism with a minor in Philosophy from American University.