John Farnam

Chief of Staff/Deputy Disruptor, Morgridge Family Foundation
Denver, Colorado

John Farnam works to advance the mission of the organization by aligning resources and innovation around social issues. Farnam began his work in education when he raised $6.5 million to build Vanguard Classical School, one of the first charter schools approved by Aurora Public Schools. Prior to his work in education, Farnam served as Vice President of Marketing for Goodwill Industries of Denver where he supported the retail and human service efforts of the $40M organization. Farnam has also served as the Executive Director of the Northern Colorado AIDS Project. He is a graduate of the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

My Truth

The challenge and opportunity that I am interested in solving is that of equity in service delivery design, implementation, and execution. I believe we will achieve equity when we have supportive services that address the whole family and does so with an eye on the long game. We all have very specific needs, desires, and wishes. An equity design thinking approach would amplify the voice of families seeking assistance. Addressing equity through gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation lens is of utmost importance to me.

Stories featuring John Farnam

Four outstanding organizations and partnerships have been selected to receive flexible grant funding to accelerate their work moving children and fami...
BlogDecember 9, 2020
Black Lives Matter. As a collective of leaders committed to advancing two-generation strategies to end multigenerational poverty, we believe that the ...
BlogJune 29, 2020
Kwame AnkuChairman and CEOBlack Star Fund Sacramento, CAMy Vision – The problem I am focusing on solving is breaking the economic disparity...
Ascend FellowshipJune 19, 2019
2018 Ascend Fellows
NEWS RELEASE Contact: Lindsay Broyhill Ascend at the Aspen Institute Tel: 202.721.5596 Lindsay.broyhill@aspeninstitute.org Prestigious Aspen Institute...
Press ReleasesSeptember 6, 2018