Xiphos Strategies is the lobbying firm associated with Ross J. Izard in the captured Colorado SOS lobbying records. In the D11 investigation, Xiphos matters as a network lead because its current clients include ERBOCES and multiple school-choice, private-school, charter, and education-advocacy organizations. The captured records do not show D11 as a Xiphos client.
The current Colorado SOS professional lobbyist directory lists Izard, Ross J. (Xiphos Strategies, LLC) as current for 2025-2026 and registered in years 2020-2021 through 2025-2026.
The current client directory lists Xiphos / Izard clients including ACE Scholarships, Colorado Association of Private Schools, Colorado Catholic Conference, Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, Education Alliance of Colorado, Education reEnvisioned BOCES, FASTER Colorado, Independence Institute, Liberty Tree Academy, Mile High United Way, and State Policy Network.
Captured current and five-year bill-position rows place Xiphos clients on issues including:
Scholarship Granting Organizations, with several Xiphos clients opposing and Education Alliance monitoring.Charter School Involvement in Local Ballot Questions, with Education Alliance supporting.At-Risk Public School Program & Public School Accountability, with Education Alliance opposing.BOCES Definition & Executive Director, with Education Alliance and Colorado Homeschool Enrichment monitoring.Parent Authority To Request Public School Reforms, with Education Alliance and Independence Institute monitoring.Special Education Services In Charter Schools, with Education Alliance amending and Independence Institute monitoring.Funding For Educational Opportunities, with Education Alliance monitoring.Collective Bargaining For Counties, with Independence Institute opposing and Education Alliance monitoring.The D11 relevance is indirect. Xiphos' ERBOCES and education-advocacy clients overlap topically with D11's Orton, ERBOCES, innovation, charter, and school-choice lanes, but no direct D11 / Xiphos contract, lobbyist-client row, board record, invoice, or email was found in this pass.
Current and five-year SOS text searches in the captured client and income files did not return Parents Challenge. That negative check does not rule out historical records outside the captured exports, web pages, email, or other records; it only means the captured SOS client / income files did not support a Xiphos / Parents Challenge claim.
| source node | target node | tie type | time range | evidence strength | claim limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiphos / Ross Izard | ERBOCES | lobbyist / advocacy relationship | 2022-present in current client row | direct | Does not establish D11 involvement |
| Xiphos / Ross Izard | ACE Scholarships, Colorado Association of Private Schools, Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, Education Alliance, FASTER, Independence Institute, Liberty Tree Academy, State Policy Network | advocacy affiliation / lobbying client network | 2020-2026 | direct | Client roster is not proof of coordination or control |
| Xiphos / Ross Izard | D11 | unresolved adjacency | no direct record found | unresolved | A D11 relationship requires direct D11-side or SOS evidence |
| Xiphos / Ross Izard | Parents Challenge | negative captured-source check | no match found in current / five-year SOS client or income captures | weak negative evidence | Does not rule out non-SOS or uncaptured historical evidence |