Denise Forte is the interim CEO at The Education Trust. With more than two decades of experience in the federal legislative and executive branches advancing progressive education and family policy, Forte brings strategic leadership to the organization’s efforts to engage policymakers and diverse coalitions of advocates in demanding and securing equity-advancing policy change at the national and state levels. She also leads Ed Trust’s legislative efforts and, as a member of the senior leadership team, coordinates an organization-wide advocacy agenda and strategy.
Prior to Ed Trust, Forte was a senior fellow and director of public affairs for The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank. She also spent 20 years in progressively senior congressional staff roles, most recently as the staff director for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce (Minority), managing and directing the legislative and policy agenda for Committee Democrats and as education policy director for Chairman George Miller. Forte also served in the Obama administration at the U.S. Department of Education, where she held the positions of principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
Forte graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in computer science and a master’s degree in women’s studies from the George Washington University.
This speaker series is for Duke students who want to learn more about careers in child and family policy. Meetings are designed to help students explore the wide range of job opportunities and careers available in the field of child and family policy while creating a network of students who share their professional interests.
At weekly meetings, we will discuss how to forge a career in policy by speaking with people doing policy work in education, health, juvenile justice, child welfare, economic security, and other areas. Learn from people who went straight into policy jobs, pursued law school, joined Teach for America, or have made a careers in academia.