Ilana Spiegel
for
Regent - Congressional District 6
She’s Not Here to Play Politics. She’s Here to Deliver.
Ilana Spiegel is a public school mom, award winning educator, and relentless advocate who’s fighting to save students and families time and money, protect our safety, health and future, and keep MAGA politics out of CU. She’s taken on extremists, special interests, and political smear campaigns — and she’s not backing down.
Proven Leadership. Real Results. A Stronger Future for CU.
As the elected CU Regent for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, I’ve shown up as a public-school mom, award-winning educator, and relentless advocate focused on one thing: making higher education more accessible, fair, and free from divisive politics.
I’m running for re-election in 2026 because this work isn’t done. CU must keep opening doors for working families, protecting academic freedom, and remain focused on students, not MAGA culture-war distractions.
Since taking office, I have led efforts to expand access to affordable higher education. Below are a few of my accomplishments I’m particularly proud of. Together with your support, we’ll be able to do so much more.
Saving students and families time and money
- Expanded affordability programs like CU Promise (free tuition and fees for resident students with the greatest need) and supported the CU Boulder undergraduate tuition guarantee for resident undergrads (including transfers).
- Helped strengthen scholarships and aid, with CU delivering more than $240 million in grants and scholarships in FY 2023 (including $56M+ in Pell Grants).
- Reduced and eliminated student fees, and invested in student success supports like summer bridge, mentoring, tutoring, and transfer pathways.
- During COVID, backed a $12.5 million investment in emergency relief and enhanced student mental health support.
Fighting for expanded access and a CU that works for everyone
- Advanced equity and inclusion commitments—from test-optional admissions to more lactation rooms and free menstrual products.
- Updated and memorialized the Descendants of Displaced Aurarians Scholarships, and supported efforts to provide in-state tuition for Native American students with historic ties to Colorado.
- Funded programs like the Center for African and African American Studies and the Center for Latino Leadership.
Defending public education from extremism
- Protected CU’s ability to teach the truth and pushed back on attacks targeting accurate education about race and racism
- Worked to protect federal funding streams for life-saving research and CU’s innovation ecosystem.
Leading with integrity and courage
- Helped appoint a new CU President through a fair, open, transparent process with one of the most diverse search committees in the country.
- Sponsored and passed student-centered governance improvements, including a policy change that ensures students can have an advisor of their choosing in student conduct proceedings—grounded in the “Katie’s Save” initiative to support wellbeing, due process, and suicide prevention.
- Strengthened accountability measures like updating the Audit Charter to be proactive, not just reactive.
Meet Ilana
A vote for Ilana is a vote for someone who will fight for what’s right, and protect what matters most. It’s a vote for building a CU that reflects the very best of Colorado: courageous, driven, and committed to the truth.
Ilana Spiegel is a public school mom, award winning educator, and relentless advocate who is fighting to save students and families time and money, protect academic freedom, and keep MAGA politics out of CU.
Ilana comes from a family of Holocaust and Great Depression survivors who taught her the meaning of courage, especially in the face of injustice. That drive has led her to fight for public education for over 30 years – in classrooms, on statewide committees and now as the elected CU Regent for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.
Ilana’s dedication to CU’s students, faculty, and heritage as a gateway into the middle class for working families across Colorado is a track record to be proud of. She’s running for re-election because there’s more work to be done.
What Ilana Is Fighting For
Fighting for Expanded Access for All
Ilana believes higher education should serve all Coloradans no matter their background, identity, or zip code:
- Supports policies to make higher education a reliable path into the middle class
- Believes public education must be a ladder to opportunity, not a gatekeeping institution for the privileged few
- Supports expanding higher education access to first-generation, rural, and working-class Coloradans
Saving Time and Money for Students and Families
Ilana is fighting to save students and families time and money with real support for students from all backgrounds
Advocates for keeping tuition in check and directing funding toward student mental health, scholarships and other student aid
- Tackle inequities that make paying and attending college difficult
Defending Public Education from Extremism
Whether you’re from Aurora or Englewood, CU should work for you.
Calls out MAGA efforts to discredit faculty, defund research, and dismantle university programs
Not afraid to confront injustice and stand up for CU faculty and students.
Has taken on extremists who have tried to turn Colorado classrooms into culture war battlegrounds
Leading with Integrity and Courage
Ilana is not another career politician; she’s a mom, educator, and community member who shows up and leads with our values:
- Works to sideline distractions that prevent building a university that serves everyone, not just the privileged few
- Proven leadership as a classroom teacher, policy expert, and CU Regent with real results and a people-first approach
- A strong record of advocacy in classrooms, policy meetings, and on picket lines
They Trust Her Because She Shows Up and Stands Strong
Building a Campus Where Every Student Belongs
Ilana knows that real leadership means showing up for everyone — not weaponizing identity or politics to score points.
That’s why she’s worked to:
- Defend students’ right to express themselves — even when it’s uncomfortable
- Support interfaith dialogue, cultural learning, and peaceful activism
- Stand against racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate
Ilana believes in academic freedom, student safety, and respecting the humanity of every person — including Jewish and Palestinian students who feel targeted or unheard.
Join Us
The MAGA crowd is coming for CU. Ilana’s standing in their way.
Add your name to help her keep fighting for students, truth, and a university that works for all of us.
Stand with Ilana.
This fight isn’t over. And Ilana’s not backing down.
She’s proven she’ll speak up, stand firm, and get things done — for students, families, and the future of public education.
Let’s keep her at the table — and at the mic.