CCCS Internal Dr. Landon Mascareñaz
Board Member — Term expires 12/31/2026
Dr. Landon Mascareñaz is an educator, writer, and democracy builder. As cofounder of the Open Systems Institute, he partners with leaders around the country to encourage an emerging discipline for openers everywhere. His new book, The Open System: Redesigning Education and Reigniting Democracy was just released from Harvard Education Press.
He is the current chair of the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, appointed and reappointed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis. He also serves as chair of the Reisher Scholars Program, supporting students across the state to achieve their higher education goals.
He was most recently Vice President for Community Partnership at the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) where he is responsible for community-driven economic development through breakthrough partnerships in the Homegrown Talent Initiative, working in sixty rural districts across eight regions of the state. At CEI he helped assemble the Sin Fronteras Education Partnership, a coalition of local, regional, and national organizations co-creating family partnership strategies for New Mexico communities, and he supported the launch of Colorado’s Statewide Family Engagement Center.
He has previously led partnerships at A+ Colorado, served as a leader in the family engagement department in Denver Public Schools, co-designed the launch of the NACA Inspired Schools Network (a network of indigenous serving schools), worked in education across New Mexico, and taught first grade on the Navajo Nation. In 2015 he completed his doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus on boundary-spanning leadership.
Landon was born in California, raised in Colorado, attended college in Oregon, and began his professional career in New Mexico—leading him to consider the western United States his home. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and enjoys traveling, learning about ancient history, and developing his meditation practice.
“Our Community Colleges are critical opportunity engines across Colorado. As a son of a mom who taught in community colleges and a father who attended one, I know how critical they are for families. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to serve my state to support these important community institutions.”
Dr. Landon Mascareñaz