Scott Laband is an experienced civic and business leader on a mission to make Colorado the best place in America to raise a child and grow a business. He serves as President & CEO of Colorado Succeeds, where he unites business leaders to strengthen the state’s education and workforce systems, so learners gain the skills, credentials, and opportunities needed to thrive in a rapidly changing economy.
With nearly two decades of experience in education and workforce policy, Scott is a social entrepreneur and systems builder working at the intersection of business, philanthropy, and public policy. In addition to his role at Colorado Succeeds, he is the Founder of the FutureRise Fund, a nonprofit focused on helping funders turn bold ideas into lasting impact through purpose-built funds, funder collaboratives, and catalytic strategies that drive economic mobility.
Under Scott’s leadership, Colorado Succeeds has launched nationally recognized initiatives, including the Education to Employment Alliance, Project SCALE Construction Pathway, and the Homegrown Talent Initiative, aligning employers, educators, and communities around high-quality pathways to good jobs.
His civic leadership includes serving on the boards of the Policy Innovators in Education Network and the Business & Education Alliance, and as a founding board member of Rocky Mountain Prep and Third Future Schools. He also contributes to statewide policy as a member of the Colorado Workforce Development Council’s Education & Training Committee and Governor Polis’s Task Force on Student Success & Workforce Revitalization.
Scott is a frequent contributor to national and local conversations on education, workforce, and economic mobility. His insights have been featured in outlets including MarketWatch, Fox Business, Entrepreneur Magazine, Education Week, the Denver Post, Denver Business Journal, and 9NEWS, helping shape public understanding and policy dialogue around the future of learning and work.
Community Involvement
Scott serves as a board member for the Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network and the Business and Education Alliance. Additionally, he served as a founding board member for both Rocky Mountain Prep, overseeing twelve high-performing public schools in Denver and Aurora, and Third Future Schools, a charter management network with ten schools across Colorado and Texas. Additional contributions include participation on the Colorado Workforce Development Council’s Education and Training Committee, Governor Hickenlooper’s Task Force on Educational Agility, and Governor Polis’s Task Force on Student Success and Workforce Revitalization.
Why Scott Loves Colorado
Scott grew up in Colorado and loves snowboarding, golfing, kayaking, snowshoeing, and hiking with his wife and three kids in the Colorado mountains.
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