Scott Mengel brings more than 40 years of experience in education, working as a teacher, elementary principal, charter school founder, and educational leader. Throughout his career, he has been deeply committed to creating schools where students are known, challenged, and supported to do meaningful work.
Scott began his career as a teacher and went on to serve as an elementary principal in several school districts. He later became Chief Growth Officer for EL Education, working with schools and educational leaders across the country to expand and strengthen the EL Education model. He subsequently founded Downtown Denver Expeditionary School (DDES), a K–5 public charter school in Denver. Founding and leading DDES brought together so much of what he had learned throughout his career, drawing on his own experiences as an educator as well as the lessons he gained from the exceptional schools and educators he had the privilege of knowing and learning from.
Scott has remained deeply committed to the principles of EL Education and to the belief that schools can provide students with both academic excellence and a strong sense of purpose. He is particularly interested in school culture, student engagement, meaningful learning, and creating opportunities for students to take ownership of their learning and contribute to their communities.
Scott is honored to serve on the Board of Directors of Renaissance Secondary School and to support its mission and continued growth as an EL Education school in the Castle Rock community.