Sam Batton
Colorado Youth Congress
Location: Denver, Colorado
As the founder and Executive Director of theColorado Youth Congress, Sam Battan brings together diverse communities of young people to lead statewide systems change. Prior to starting CYC, Sam worked in New Orleans for five years teaching and leading an alternative high school designed for overage students. During his time there, Sam was recognized as the district’s Teacher of the Year and has worked passionately over his career to shift power dynamics towards those impacted by unjust systems. In addition to being an educator, Sam is a proud organizer, recently co-founding a network of white executive directors focused on reparations. He’s previously served as the co-director of the Equity Network United for Metro Denver, an advocacy organization, and the education chair for the Welcome Table New Orleans, the nation’s first city-sanctioned initiative for racial reconciliation. His advocacy work has been featured on NBC, the Denver Post, NOLA.com and The Advocate. In his free time Sam likes to drown his food in hot sauce and write favorably about himself in the third person.