Penn GSE is pleased to announce that Denise Forte, President and Chief Executive Officer of EdTrust, will serve as the Commencement speaker for the School’s 2026 Commencement ceremony, to be held on May 16 as part of the University of Pennsylvania’s 270th Commencement.
A nationally recognized leader in education policy and equity, Forte has spent more than two decades advancing evidence-based strategies to expand educational opportunity for students who have been historically underserved. As CEO of EdTrust, a leading national advocacy organization focused on closing opportunity gaps for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, Forte works with policymakers, educators, and advocates across the country to drive systemic change in K–12 and higher education.
“Denise Forte has spent her career striving to ensure that educational equity shows up in the choices we make in policy, in practice, and in how we measure whether students are truly being served,” said Penn GSE Dean Katharine Strunk. “We are honored she will address our graduates as they prepare to lead across schools, systems, and communities.”
Forte joined the EdTrust in 2019 as senior vice president for partnerships and engagement and was named president and CEO in January 2023. Under her leadership, the organization has strengthened its national advocacy efforts and deepened its engagement with state and federal leaders to advance equity-centered education policy.
Prior to EdTrust, Forte served as a senior fellow and director of public affairs at the Century Foundation and as vice president for policy leadership at Leadership for Educational Equity, supporting current and former educators in public leadership roles. Her career in public service also includes more than 20 years on Capitol Hill in senior congressional staff positions, as well as service in the Obama administration at the U.S. Department of Education, where she was principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
Forte holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Duke University and a master’s degree in women’s studies from The George Washington University. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.
Penn GSE’s 2026 Commencement will celebrate the achievements of the School’s graduating master’s and doctoral students and mark the beginning of their next chapter as educators, researchers, policymakers, and leaders committed to improving education in schools, systems, and communities around the world.
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