Rana Tarkenton

Chief Operating Officer

rana@attainmentnetwork.org

Rana’s professional experience spans more than 20 years of operations, policy, program and systems development in the education and nonprofit sectors. Rana has spent her career in education leading high-performing teams to increase postsecondary access and success for low-income, first-generation students and students of color. She brings a commitment to equity and a strong belief in the impact of strategic collaboration and student-centered design to her work at The Attainment Network.

Prior to joining The Attainment Network, Rana was the founding Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Impact at the University of Colorado Denver. There she partnered with leaders and teams to drive results and transformational change through the application of strategic decision making and continuous improvement principles. Rana also held the position of Chief Operating Officer at the Denver Scholarship Foundation and oversaw statewide college access and outreach programs for the Colorado Department of Higher Education. She began her professional career in Boston in the community arts world before following her heart into the field of educational opportunity programs here in Colorado.

Rana earned her bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Theatre from Trinity University and her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Harvard University.