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DJ Summers

Director of Communications & Research Operations

For media inquiries, please contact cinamon@csinstituteus.org

DJ Summers is Common Sense Institute’s Director of Communications & Research Operations. He oversees CSI fellows and research staff, coordinates with partners, iterates and analyzes projects, and breaks down findings for the public, legislators, and commercial leaders. 

Prior to CSI, DJ attended the University of Utah and Syracuse University. He worked as a journalist, investigator, and political researcher across the U.S. from Washington, D.C. to Alaska. DJ has a drive to understand complex truths and make them clear and accessible to the public and its leaders alike.

DJ lives in Denver and is a classically trained pianist. He devotes his spare time to practicing and studying music. When not at the piano bench, he has a regimen of strength training, combat sports, and enjoying good Colorado beer.

Expert's Work
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Housing & Our Community
Colorado’s Waning Popularity: Census Figures Show Domestic Outflow

Colorado gained 20 times more people from net migration in 2015 than it did in 2025. This trend has serious implications for future economic success. Colorado’s birth rate is not producing a high enough sup

April 20, 2026 DJ Summers
State Budget
Colorado Budget: How Did We Get Here?

Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee is proposing an FY2026-27 budget that incorporates half a billion dollars worth of cuts to address a $1.5 billion budget shortage.

April 07, 2026 DJ Summers
Free Enterprise Report
2026 Free Enterprise Report

The Free Enterprise Report is a marquis report that provides an objective, non-partisan, fact-based analysis of the Colorado economic landscape.

March 13, 2026 Zachary MilneDJ Summers
Jobs & Our Economy
The Economic Impacts of Palantir's Departure from Denver

On the 17th of February, Palantir, a multi-billion dollar surveillance company and the most valuable firm in Colorado, announced that it will move its corporate headquarters from Denver to a suburb of Miami

February 24, 2026 Erik GammDJ Summers
Jobs & Our Economy
Downtown’s sluggish recovery costing Denver tens of millions in unrealized sales tax revenues, study finds
The Denver Post

Restoring a “sense of safety and security” could help bring people back to city’s core neighborhoods, Common Sense Institute says.

October 31, 2024 Kelly Jean BroughDJ Summers
Crime & Public Safety
Common Sense Institute's DJ Summers talks about the FBI updating crime data
KOA Colorado

Common Sense Institute's DJ Summers talks about the FBI updating crime data

October 18, 2024 DJ Summers
Taxes & Fees
Town hall: Regional leaders delve into Denver's illegal immigration crisis
Colorado Politics

Panelists agree the federal government is not stepping in to fix growing crisis.

May 10, 2024 DJ Summers
Housing & Our Community
CSI’s DJ Summers talks about the new Colorado property tax relief proposal
KOA Colorado

DJ Summers talks about the new Colorado property tax relief proposal.

May 09, 2024 DJ Summers
Energy & Our Environment
Executive Action & Extraction: Economic Impacts of the Mineral E.O. in the West

In this episode, we discuss the economic impacts of mineral mining and alternative energy production in Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming, driven by the implementation of Executive Order 14241.

May 27, 2025 DJ Summers
Housing & Our Community
Homelessness: What Is the Best Approach to Tackling It?

There are two main ways to address homelessness: housing first and work first. In this episode, DJ Summers breaks down what each approach means, how they work, and the pros and cons of both.

April 21, 2025 DJ Summers
Housing & Our Community
Could Federal Workers Returning to the Office Boost Downtown Denver?

Our host DJ Summers, Director of Policy and Research for Common Sense Institute, delves deeper into CSI's recent report "Returning Government Employees to Work a Boon for Urban Economy" on this episode of C

March 10, 2025 DJ Summers