Dr. John D. Denning has worked in a variety of roles at the intersection of education policy, philanthropy, and economic development. John currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the John M. Belk Endowment after almost ten years as a Senior Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Committed to driving impact in transitions from high school to college and improved outcomes for students and teachers, John also served as North Carolina’s State Director for K-12 and Postsecondary Alignment and the NC Ready for Success initiative. In that capacity and through a joint appointment across the University of North Carolina, the NC Community College System and the NC Department of Public Instruction, John directed communication and policy alignment efforts across all sectors of K-12 and postsecondary education. After attending Elon University as a NC Teaching Fellow, John taught American history and government at Wake Forest Rolesville High School. Since earning an MA in Public Policy from Exeter University in England and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from UNC-Chapel Hill, John has worked in other organizations such as the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, All Kinds of Minds, the NC New Schools Project and the NC Teaching Fellows Commission. John also currently serves as a member of various boards and organizations such as the Elon University Jo Watts William School of Education Advisory Board, the National Advisory Board of the William and Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, the Advisory Board of the Public School Forum of North Carolina, and the myFutureNC Advisory Board of Commissioners.