Mary Seawell, Gates Family Foundation’s Senior Vice President for Education since 2012, stepped down from her role at Gates in July 2023 to assume full-time leadership as CEO of Lyra Colorado – a nonprofit she founded while at Gates that partners with communities to design, build, and support ecosystems that address challenges and opportunities within public education.
Through Lyra, Mary and her team continue to work with community-based teams across Colorado on issues as varied as rural climate career-connected learning, autonomously governed networks of public schools, and parent-led safety advocacy.
Mary has over a decade of experience leading large-scale initiatives to advance equity in public education. Her specialties include school district governance, delivery of public education services, rural school innovation, public policy, and strategies for expanding the pipeline of excellent school leaders and teachers.
During her tenure at Gates, Mary helped to create and launch a number of other innovative initiatives in addition to Lyra, including Denver’s first autonomous innovation zone, the Luminary Learning Network (LLN), and RootED, Denver’s “education quarterback”. She also won a regional Emmy award 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 achievement gaps.
“Mary has been one of the most creative staff members we have ever had,” said Gates Family Foundation President Tom Gougeon. “She has had a unique ability to see possibilities, navigate complex ecosystems, and inspire others to engage and support change. She has had an unwavering commitment to better outcomes for all kids. We all look forward to seeing what she will be able to achieve through Lyra Colorado, working with diverse partners throughout the state and beyond.”
We asked a few special people to reflect on their time and experiences working with Mary:
Rosemary Rodriguez (Gates Family Foundation Board Member and community leader): “Mary Seawell’s superpower is seeing possibilities where others may not recognize them. Eleanor Roosevelt taught us that we must do the things we think we cannot do. Mary personifies this approach to her work. It’s always a joy to work with her.”
Tom Stritikus (President, Fort Lewis College): “Mary has been a consummate partner, thought-leader, and supporter of the work of Fort Lewis College and so many organizations through state. Mary’s passion for doing the right things for young people shined through in my very first interactions with her. Mary’s ability to dream big while also offering support and expertise is a quality that everyone in philanthropy should posses.”
Abby Schaller (Strategy & Impact Officer, Walton Personal Philanthropy Group, and former Gates education team member) “Mary has made an enduring impact on Colorado through her work at the Foundation. A true trailblazer, she has charted new paths that push our collective thinking about what’s possible for students in nearly every corner of the state. I am thrilled that she will continue her work through Lyra Colorado and can’t wait to see what their team accomplishes next.”
Elizabeth Harbaugh (Director of Climatarium, Lyra Colorado): “Mary is the most capable and compassionate leader an organization could ask for — we are incredibly lucky to have her leading the Lyra team. She brings a sense of creativity, authenticity, and rigor to everything that she does. I am continuously in awe of her ability to innovate for students and work within the complexities of the modern education system. I am thrilled to continue learning from her leadership as she creates transformational change in Colorado and beyond.”
Prior to her role at Gates, Mary served as Executive Director of the Sturm Family Foundation and the Judith Ann Griese Foundation; as a Director and member of the Grantmaking Committee for the Charles T. Beaird Foundation; and as a board member and Chair of the Grantmaking Committee for the Chinook Fund. From 1993 to 2003 she worked in various capacities at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Denver District Attorney’s Office. Mary also worked for Get Smart Schools developing an MBA program at the University of Denver for autonomous school leaders.
Mary was elected to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education in 2009 and served as its President from 2011-2013, a period of great change that resulted in many important reforms. She is the founding board member of two charter schools, and the parent of three DPS graduates.
We will miss you at our staff meetings, Mary — but we’re glad you’re still a close partner to all of us at Gates!
Finally, also in 2023 a total of $410,956 previously committed by Gates to the 
A total of $1,110,956 committed to the 
In 2019, the Community Development program committed $932,500 in strategic grants to 13 organizations and $465,000 in responsive capital grants to 12 organizations. New impact investments supporting vibrant communities in 2019 included a $500,000 MRI to 
Our Focus Landscapes initiative, a key element of our Natural Resources program, underwent a comprehensive review, revision, and re-launch in 2019. This initiative was launched in 2011 to help Colorado achieve landscape-scale conservation through the protection of private lands in specific geographies. A great deal of progress was made in North Park, southeast Colorado, and the San Luis Valley, resulting in more than 200,000 acres of farm and ranch lands conserved, along with their associated ecological values. The strategic review process was done in close partnership with the land trust organizations representing those geographies, providing lessons-learned and an exploration of emerging opportunities. The revised Focus Landscapes initiative will first focus on two geographies: