About

Michael is the President of the Advance Colorado Institute. Prior to that he served as the Executive Director of Colorado Rising Action and the State Director of Americans for Prosperity – Colorado. He brings years of nonprofit, educational, and legislative experience. He has served as a policy aide at the Colorado State House and also as a press aide for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. He taught both elementary and middle school at a charter school in Aurora – later serving as the governing board president of that school. He is a FOX31 Denver political analyst, as well as an adjunct professor of American Politics. Michael graduated from Valparaiso University and earned his J.D. from University of Colorado – Boulder. He and his wife, Mele, and their four children live in Parker.

Kristi is the Executive Vice President at the Advance Colorado Institute. She is the former Chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party — the first woman to be elected in 40 years and the youngest Chair in Colorado Republican history. Kristi is a constitutional attorney, focusing on First Amendment and Equal Protection issues and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a former Associate Scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute and a current board member of the Boy Scouts’ Greater Colorado Council and the Colorado Family Life Center. As the former managing editor of a news site, Kristi tutors 4th-6th graders in grammar and writing and is a guest host for the Dan Caplis Show on 630 KHOW. She lives with her family in Douglas County.

Michael Tsogt is a Policy Analyst at the Advance Colorado Institute. His areas of policy and research include education, budget/fiscal matters, and TABOR. He has testified on a range of bills at the State Capitol, including a bill proposing education savings accounts for special needs and foster care kids in Colorado. During his undergraduate years, Michael was elected as the Academic Senator for student government, covered sports & entertainment for the student newspaper, and participated in several political fellowships and opportunities, including the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual as a Bastiat Fellow. Prior to COVID interrupting plans, Michael was accepted into a study abroad program at Oxford University where he intended to study Aristotle and political philosophy for a semester. Michael graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in political science. He and his wife live in Colorado Springs.