Our Team
The Colorado School Fund works in partnership with school leaders and local communities to meet the needs of children and families across Colorado.
Meet the team that makes this work possible.
Our Team
Lydia Hoffman, Founding CEO
Lydia founded the Colorado Schools Fund to ensure more children across Colorado, particularly those without access to great schools today, can attend excellent public schools that inspire a love of learning, open doors of opportunity, and enable graduates to live lives of their choosing.
Lydia brings more than 12 years of experience from the Charter School Growth Fund, the nation’s leading philanthropic fund supporting public charter schools. She served as a partner at CSGF for seven years and spearheaded the organization’s work in Colorado for five years. Lydia evaluated charter school networks for support, coached leaders ranging from single sites to large networks, and worked in partnership with local communities on broader ecosystem challenges, like family engagement, school facilities, and developing talent pipelines. She believes opening a school represents a deep commitment to a community and takes the responsibility of funding and supporting new schools seriously.
Lydia began her career as a journalist for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, DC. In over 150 published articles, Lydia covered all aspects of U.S. education and had a front-row seat as the Obama administration developed the Race to the Top initiative. As a journalist, Lydia saw stark opportunity gaps between student groups – outcomes that result from decades of inequitable access in Black, Latino, and rural communities to high-quality schools. Lydia believes that all students – especially those from historically marginalized communities – need access to high-quality schools right now.
Lydia is a mom to two young sons who attend public schools in Colorado. She has a BA in US history from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
Sudhanshu Malani, Vice President
Sudhanshu brings a deep love of education and many years of experience to the Colorado Schools Fund. He is led by the belief that schools are units of change to impact outcomes for historically underserved students. As the Colorado School Fund’s leader for facilities, investment, and innovative school strategies, Sudhanshu supports charter leaders to ensure finance and facilities are enablers of their growth and success.
Prior to joining the Colorado Schools Fund, Sudhanshu worked at the Charter School Growth Fund for six years, including several years on the structured finance team, where he supported charter leaders in the central and west coast regions of the United States with all things finance, facilities, and governance.
Sudhanshu has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (India) and an MBA from Said Business School, University of Oxford. He is a Teach for India alumnus, and he taught math and science at a public school in India. Sudhanshu also has experience with education and finance from his work with early stage Edtech startups and entrepreneurs to develop strategies that helped them scale their organizations to serve more underprivileged students in India.
Our Board
Lydia is joined on the board by four dynamic leaders:
Board Chair, Jill Anschutz,
The Anschutz Foundation
Collaboration is at the center of the Colorado Schools Fund, and that’s what excites me most about our work and the future. For far too long, there have been barriers keeping a high-quality education away from the students who would benefit from it the most and I’m positive that the Colorado Schools Fund can swap out those obstacles for opportunities.
Darryl Cobb, President, Charter School Growth Fund
From cities to the suburbs to rural communities, Colorado has a unique opportunity to build a coalition of families, school leaders, and communities who champion charter and other innovative public school models. Lydia’s depth of experience and powerful leadership is a surefire sign the Colorado School Fund can build partnerships that put children and families first, and at the same time, serve as an example for what this crucial work can look like across the nation.
Rosemary Rodriguez, Community Leader
Good schools are at the heart of strong communities — they bring us together; they help ensure that our children are not only well educated academically, but seen and served as whole people. I am excited to build partnerships that bring new, innovative schools to every part of Colorado so all of our students can learn, grow, and thrive.
Hanna Skandera, CEO, Daniels Fund
This is our moment to change the education landscape so every child in Colorado has the opportunity to attend an outstanding school. I believe the Colorado Schools Fund can put our state back on the map as a leader in school choice, while also inspiring the country with our mission. I’m confident we can deliver results that change lives for the better.
