Xochitl “Sochi” Gaytan is the President of the Denver Public School (DPS) Board of Education,
and the first naturalized immigrant woman to hold that position. Elected in November 2021
representing District 2 in Southwest Denver, Xochitl believes that a quality public education
leads all families to opportunity, financial success, and prosperous communities. She knows
that education creates confident, civic-minded leaders that will make a positive impact in their
communities. These values were instilled in her by her Mexican immigrant parents who led
Xochitl toward a path in public service, and the completion of her Bachelor of Science in
Business Management degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver, with a minor in
Spanish.
Xochitl worked in corporate America for several years in the construction and finance fields
before committing to her small business in real estate in 2001. Her fluency in Spanish was
essential to guiding her Latino clients toward a path of homeownership and generational wealth
building. Xochitl’s upbringing and life experiences, including as a mother who sought answers
after her oldest son’s middle school was shut down, leaving him without any nearby options.
With the support of her community, she ran unsuccessfully for the board, in 2017, but was then
elected in 2021with strong support from the Denver Classroom Teachers Association.
Xochitl’s community leadership includes serving for five years with the Harvey Park Community
Organization (HPCO) in southwest Denver. As President, she increased the number of college
scholarships the nonprofit awarded to high school seniors, advocated for housing and economic
justice, and created a strong community of neighbors. Xochitl still dedicates time to educating
parents about their rights, organizes families to demand equity in their children’s education, and
models how to lead with compassion towards justice within a severely underfunded education
system.
As Co-Chair of the Colorado Latino Forum for several years, Xochitl has led the Board’s efforts
on policy and legislation advocacy to increase the political, social, educational, and economic
strength of the Latino community in metro-Denver. As a former Vice-Chair of Outreach with the
Colorado Democratic Party, Xochitl worked to increase voter turn-out for the 2020 game
changing general election that helped Democrats win back the White House.
Xochitl is married to a very patient and devoted spouse who was her high school sweetheart.
Together they have two sons, one of which is a DPS graduate now in college and working full-
time, and the other is a current DPS scholar in Southwest Denver.
