After the Board
- January 2013: Stepped down from DPS board
- March 2013: Became CEO of Denver Scholarship Foundation (invested $33M in 5,600 DPS graduates)
- October 2017: Founding CEO of RootED (formerly Blue School Partners) — Denver's "education quarterback," channeling foundation dollars to reform initiatives. Gates Family Foundation helped launch. Mary Seawell serves on board.
- 2019: Resigned from RootED, considered running for at-large DPS seat, ultimately declined
- 2019: Founded Easley Found Solutions, LLC — consulting firm
- 2020: Confirmed to Colorado State University System Board of Governors
- Current: Vice Chair, CSU System Board of Governors (term expires Dec 31, 2027)
The Reform Network
Easley remained embedded in the education reform infrastructure:
- Board President, National College Attainment Network
- Board Treasurer, School Board Partners
- Board Member, Colorado Education Initiative
- Member, Denver Mayor Hancock's Education Compact
- Education Post Advisory Network member
- RootED provided grants to charter networks and innovation zones — district schools with charter-like autonomy
The Bait and Switch
The Denver Classroom Teachers Association backed Easley and helped get him elected, expecting him to side with the union. Instead, Easley became the swing vote in favor of Superintendent Boasberg's reform agenda — charter expansion, school closures, teacher evaluations. The union viewed this as a betrayal. One observer noted the DCTA had been "a bit careless in vetting" Easley. By flipping, he created the 4-3 reform majority that would reshape DPS for a decade.
District 4 Today
DPS District 4 covers northeast Denver: Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, Central Park (formerly Stapleton), North Park Hill, Five Points, Whittier. Montbello High School reopened in 2022 after a decade of closure. The reform era that Easley helped enable — 48+ school closures, 70+ new schools, charter expansion — is now being reversed by union-backed boards elected in 2019 and 2025.