Elise Henson | Senior Manager of Programs & Partnerships

Elise Henson is a social entrepreneur with expertise in education and youth development. She believes in the transformative power of high-quality education and relevant civic engagement for young people and gets inspiration and joy from working directly with kids and teens.

As Senior Manager, Programs and Partnerships, Elise is part of a team of individuals dedicated to making new ideas a reality both within Gary and the broader community. In her role she supports staffing, supplying, and piloting new ventures designed to improve outcomes for Colorado kids and families. From 2021-2022 Elise led Gary’s Learning League venture, an after school tutoring program designed to accelerate the academic recovery of 300 Denver students following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to her work at Gary, Elise spent six years on the Education team at Carnegie Corporation of New York, where she managed a national grant-making portfolio focused on equitable systems change. She previously supported schools and community organizations in fostering positive youth development through volunteerism at the youth division of Points of Light. She started her career with four years as a middle school teacher at small international schools in Nicaragua, the Marshall Islands and Nigeria. Elise holds a Master’s degree in international educational development from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Williams College. She lives in Lakewood, Colorado with her husband, their two young children, and their dog.