Faculty & Staff Bios
DSST: Stapleton High School
Rudionna Armstrong
High School Spanish
Rudi is a recent first generation graduate from The Colorado College earning a B.A. in Spanish. In 1999, Rudi made a presentation on behalf of the College Summit Program to the Rockefeller Foundation. Since then, Rudi has maintained her affiliation with College Summit Colorado as an alumni leader and a reception speaker. For the past four years, Rudi has mentored low-income college bound students like herself (as well as their families) in the college application process.
Rochelle Bell
Director in Training for DSST: GVR High School
Rochelle graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology. At Harvard she played on the basketball team and was a member of the Harvard University Native American Program and the Black Students Association. After college she joined the Teach for America movement and taught science in the Rio Grande Valley, TX. Rochelle grew up in Minneapolis and enjoys playing basketball, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee during her free time.
Velma Bibby
High School Office Assistant
Velma has substantial experience working in a variety of environments. She has experience in database management, managing several individuals and working as a paraprofessional. Velma has volunteer experience at Montessori School as well as with several fundraising projects. Velma is fluent in Spanish and has a passion for education. She enjoys the students and staff at DSST.
Jim Bright
High School History
Jim graduated from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in history in 1997. After working in the internet banking and instructional technology fields and walking from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail, he began teaching at Montbello High School in northeast Denver in 2001. In 2004 Jim married Christina Bright and moved to Winston Salem, North Carolina where he taught at R.J. Reynolds High School. Jim enjoys skiing, biking, running and hiking in his free time.
Shelley Burns
High School English
Shelley graduated from St. Olaf College with a B.A. in both history and English. She later returned to school in order to earn a Masters of Arts in the teaching of English from the Teachers College of Columbia University. Shelley’s teaching career began in Houston, Texas, her Teach for America placement city, where she taught 10th and 11th grade English for three years. She returned to her hometown of Denver in 2008 to teach at Lincoln High School. Shelley is thrilled to be working at DSST where she teaches her heart out with the support of a caring and dedicated community. When not in the classroom, Shelley likes to get out and enjoy the mountains through hiking or skiing. For a more restful time, she enjoys coffee with close friends and curling up with a good book.
Janet Busch
Special Projects
Janet has been a volunteer at several area schools including Littleton High School, Hamilton Middle School and Samuels Elementary School. She has a B.A. in air commerce from Florida Institute of Technology and most recently worked as a computer programmer for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Maryland.
Nik Casey
High School Humanities
Nik attended Albion College where she majored in English and biology. She began teaching in the Rio Grande Valley with Teach for America where she taught 9th grade biology at Lopez High School for two years. Afterwards, she started IDEA Quest High School with three other colleagues, teaching biology for one year and 10th grade English the following year, serving as an English curriculum course facilitator and team leader. Nik enjoys the outdoors, photography, painting and traveling. At DSST, she loves encouraging and helping students matriculate into a four-year college/university.
Katie Campbell
High School Special Education Coordinator
Katie grew up in Denver, graduated from East High School and holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Bryn Mawr College. She taught an elementary resource special education class in Memphis, Tennessee for two years with Teach for America and then taught 5th grade special education in an inclusion program at KIPP D.C.’s AIM Academy. Katie is passionate about diverse, inclusive education and is excited to play a role in continuing to develop a dynamic special education program at DSST. In addition to teaching, Katie worked as the director of programs for Seeking Common Ground, a local youth leadership and peacebuilding organization. Katie is pursuing her teaching license this year through Western State College. Outside of school, Katie is primarily known for two things: yoga and baking. Now that she’s back in Colorado, Katie takes advantage of every single sunny day in the mountains or at City Park.
Jodi Crutchfield
High School Chemistry
Jodi Crutchfield, a Texas A&M chemistry and education graduate, joined our staff to teach chemistry after teaching abroad for many years. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal from 1998 to 2000 where she taught in a village school and trained elementary school teachers in math education. She continued her work in Kathmandu where she taught chemistry, math and science at Lincoln International School for three years. After returning to the Americas, she continued teaching in Guatemala City at Colegio Interamericano as a chemistry teacher.
Jeff Desserich
High School Math
Jeff graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. He is proud to work with some of the most talented and hardest working teachers and students in Denver in an environment that has already demonstrated great success but also prides itself on continuous improvement. Jeff is a big basketball fan and attends many DSST boys and girls games. He also enjoys running, hiking, snowboarding and reading about U.S. History.
Kate Dresher
High School Director of Athletics & Internships
Kate carries out a dual role of both the director of athletics and the director of internships. Prior to her time with DSST, Kate served in a variety of capacities at many schools across the country including Ohio, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Colorado. Kate is the founder and currently serves as the executive director of the Colorado Girls Lacrosse Association. Kate received her M.Ed. from the University of Pittsburgh, but is a Coloradan at heart.
Kathleen Dyer
High School English/English Department Chair
Kathleen attended SUNY Binghamton and majored in English and Spanish. She began teaching in the Rio Grande Valley with Teach for America where she taught 9th grade English for two years at Rio Grande City High School. She then taught 9th grade English for two years at the American Nicaraguan School in Managua. Kathleen enjoys running, dancing and traveling. At DSST she is pleased continue to work toward transforming American public education. Kathleen also enjoys working with students who are working toward attending four-year colleges.
Yesta Ealy
High School Dean of Students - Prep Academy
Before joining DSST, Yesta worked for five years at the Center for Learning Assistance at the University of Colorado at Denver. During that time she served as the site coordinator for the Upward Bound program at West High School and the assistant director of Upward Bound. Yesta holds a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in social science from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Will Eaton
High School Math
Will graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He has a special interest in teaching classes in business and entrepreneurship. Will was drawn to DSST because of the incredible talent of the student body and the strength of the school's core values. He enjoys getting to know his students both in class and at out-of-class activities.
Judy Fisher
Director of College Placement
Judy has an undergraduate degree in history and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She completed her graduate work in special education at the University of Denver. She worked as a teacher and counselor for several years before leaving the field to run her own business for over 20 years. In 1999 she sold her business and returned to education as a college and career counselor.
Marissa Forbes
High School Physics/Engineering
Marissa has degrees from Boston University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Besides being a teaching fellow in Lafayette, Marissa has been a part of Engineers Without Borders in San Leon, Peru. In 2007, with great courage (and success), she started Puppy Love Dog Services. She speaks French, runs marathons, has an organic vegetable garden and has two dogs, one cat, one turtle, four chickens and a husband as family.
Megan Garmane
High School Math
As department head and a teacher at The Academy in Westminster, Colorado, Megan worked to develop new curriculum and coach and mentor other teachers while working closely with students and parents. She has a B.S. in mathematics from the University of Northern California with an emphasis in secondary education. Megan is also involved with MESA Club, works as a senior class advisor and coaches geometry club, Metro Math Day and recreational softball.
Yoni Geffen
High School Humanities
Yoni attended Kenyon College and graduated with a B.A. in English and a concentration in the Integrated Program for Humane Studies. Originally from Los Angeles, he moved to Denver to teach elementary school with Teach for America. He joined the DSST staff in 2009 and is very excited to be part of a mission-driven organization that has produced such outstanding results with its students. When he isn’t in the classroom, Yoni enjoys playing and coaching soccer, snowboarding and doing crosswords.
George Gigiolio
High School Bio-Chemistry/Biotechnology
George began work at DSST teaching a very popular genetics elective. George has taught chemistry and biology for over 14 years, most recently at the Urban School and Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. George has a B.S. in Biology from Loyola University in Chicago.
Mark Heffron
High School Director
Before joining DSST, Mark taught math at the Emily Griffith High School. He began his career at DSST as a math teacher before becoming dean of students, and ultimately high school director. Mark graduated from Michigan Technical University with a B.S. in civil engineering and earned a M.S. in civil engineering from Purdue University. Prior to starting his teaching career, Mark served as a structural engineer for Bates Engineering in Lakewood, Colorado.
Katherine Hendrickson
High School Spanish
Katherine is very civic-minded and dedicated to personal and clear communication. She has studied abroad in Brussels, Belgium and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received her double major B.A. in political science and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was a member of the sailing club. She joins DSST as a Teach for America corps member.
Cory Hofschild
High School Physics
Cory joined DSST in 2005-06 as an assistant teacher/tutor in physics, chemistry and math. He joined the DSST faculty as a full-time member in 2006-07 as a physics teacher. He has taught English in Brazil and has worked as an outdoor educator in California. He holds two degrees in biological aspects of conservation and in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jeff Hollenbach
High School Physics/Science Department Chair
Jeff has eight years of experience, prior to DSST, teaching middle and high school students in Latin America at the American School of Puerto Vallarta where he taught science, physics and algebra. Adding to his extensive experience, Jeff also taught guitar classes, coached MathCounts, worked as an assistant basketball coach, worked with the soccer team and was a mentor for the senior class at Day-Star School of Juticalpa, Honduras. Jeff obtained his B.A. in biology at Hope College in Holland, Michigan and an M.A. in multidisciplinary education from Buffalo State University.
Erin Howe
High School Senior Project Coordinator
Erin came to DSST from Skyland Community High School in Denver where she was an instructional coach and curriculum coordinator, developing curriculum for grades 9-12, modeling and co-teaching literacy lessons and participating in professional development and assessments. Erin began at DSST as an English teacher and has dedicated much of her teaching to helping students reach reading and writing grade level, defining teaching approaches to match each student’s needs and working with teachers to enhance teaching methods. She graduated with a B.A. in environmental studies and a minor in English from Gettysburg College and an M.A. in education from the University of Denver.
Sharifah Hunter
High School Office Manager
Sharifah joined DSST after working at Cherry Creek Schools and College Access Network. Sharifah was born in Buffalo, New York and was raised in Denver where she attended Overland High School. She has one daughter, Aleonya, who is the primary focus of her attention outside of serving the students at our school.
Colin Hynes
Dean of Students - Senior Academy
Colin graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree in education, secondary biology and Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in ecology and evolutional biology. As a team leader in science for Englewood High School, Colin was involved with curriculum development, professional development and teaching AP and honors science classes. Colin has also coached varsity baseball, soccer and Nordic skiing.
Christa Jimenez
High School Spanish/6-12 Spanish Department Chair
Christa earned her bachelor's degree in Spanish with a minor in music from the University of Nebraska. She worked at Longmont High School for three years where she taught Spanish for native speakers and AP Spanish. She also spent a year teaching English to elementary school students in San Ramon, Costa Rica. Anything Latin sparks her interests, including dancing, music and cooking. She lived in Costa Rica for five years and brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to DSST. She enjoys working with phenomenal staff and students and works to achieve high goals while living the core values.
Nmuta Jones
High School Technology Teacher
Before coming to DSST, Nmuta was a design team member and co-founder of a charter technology high school in Philadelphia where he served as a technology instructor and administrator for four years. His main passion in life revolves around the creation and promotion of socially progressive digital media. He is the founder of MediaBreeze.com, a technology company that creates positive video games for Windows and MAC OSX. Nmuta holds a bachelor's degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and is also a graduate of Denver East High School. Nmuta and his wife Omisola are the grateful parents of three children, the oldest of whom is a very proud member of DSST's first graduating middle school class.
Jaclyn Karnowski
High School Math
Jaclyn is a Teach for America alumna of Phoenix and Denver. She has degrees from Loyola University Chicago and Arizona State University. She has also attended the Universidad Alberto Hurtao in Santiago, Chile. She comes to us as a founding member from KIPP Denver Collegiate High School. She is fluent in Spanish.
Molly Lepore
High School English
Molly previously worked at Denver Academy (DA), where she taught for five years and served as the English department chair. She was named outstanding experiential educator at DA in 2005 and Teacher of the Year in 2003. Molly has a B.A. in English and French from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.A. in literacy curriculum design from the University of Colorado at Denver. Molly has been very active in the Colorado Language Arts Society, presenting numerous times at statewide conferences.
Nora Matell
High School Earth Science
Nora graduated from Williams College with a degree in geosciences and has also earned a master's degree in geological sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has done geology research in the U.S. and in the Arctic, and has worked as an environmental geologist. Nora is excited to teach about the earth and environment, topics that are not only exciting, but also highly relevant. In her free time, she likes to get outside camping, climbing, running and hiking.
Becky Merklein
High School Spanish
Becky earned a B.A. in Latin American and Iberian studies from the University of Wisconsin. She has taught English to Spanish speakers in Mexico. She returned to Wisconsin to initiate programs beneficial to the Latino and the surrounding communities in Merrill, Wisconsin, raising awareness and acceptance of diversity.
Becca Meyer
High School Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Becca attended UC-San Diego, where she majored in biochemistry and minored in education. She began teaching in Washington D.C. with Teach for America as a high school chemistry teacher. Becca taught chemistry for six years, with three of those years spent at DSST. She has also worked part-time for Denver Teaching Fellows as a selector and faculty advisor. Becca likes book club, skiing and spending time with friends and family.
Lauren Sampley
High School Chemistry
Lauren, a Teach for America alumna, comes to DSST from the Ninth Grade College Preparatory Academy in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Colorado State University at Fort Collins with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry education and Spanish. She also coached junior varsity softball at the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston for two years, with 2009 as a winning season.
Tracy Schloemer
High School Chemistry
Tracy earned both her B.S. in chemistry and M.A. in education from the University of Michigan. Before coming to DSST, she worked with undergraduates at U of M and high school students from Detroit. Tracy is interested in using teacher research as a mode to improve as a teacher with the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. As a new resident of Colorado, she looks forward to much skiing and hiking.
Sara Shapiro
Special Education/Reading Intervention
Sara moved to Denver from St. Louis, where she completed her undergraduate work at Washington University. She was selected as a corps member with Teach for America, and teaches special education and reading intervention at DSST, both in the middle and high school. Sara has a B.A. in political science and minors in history and writing.
Vivian Sherman
High School Math
Vivian was born and raised outside of Chicago, Illinois. After attending UCLA for her undergraduate studies, she decided to pursue a career in education. Vivian taught middle school math and science while simultaneously earning her master’s degree in secondary education at Loyola Marymount University. She is thrilled to be teaching at DSST, and loves living in Denver where she cycles, hikes and plays soccer.
Jaren Smith
High School Math/Math Department Chair
Jaren came to DSST with experience as a math tutor for both middle and high school students. She also taught college algebra at Metro State College as well as math courses at Lake Middle School and East High School. Jaren received an M.A. in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in the study of combinatorics and abstract algebra. Jaren appreciates and enjoys teaching math concepts to diverse and eager-to-learn students.
Jim Stephens
High School History
Jim received his B.A. in anthropology from Syracuse University where he concentrated on the historical archaeology of 18th century Afro-Jamaican slave communities. After finishing at Syracuse, he moved to Washington, D.C. to work with the cultural resource management firm John Milner & Associates in the capital region archaeological division. Jim earned his M.A. at Howard University in the African diaspora and his Ph.D. in U.S. history. After completing his degrees at Howard, Jim took a position as an International Baccalaureate instructor at the Carlisle School in Virginia. Jim joined DSST as the American history teacher on the 11th grade team.
Edna Sutton
High School History
Edna's significant and diverse background in education allows her to take on the role of teaching civics in the humanities department at DSST. Edna came to DSST from East High School where she taught social studies for more than 10 years. She graduated with a B.A. from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and received an M.A. in social science from the University of Colorado. Edna also attended both Loyola Marymount University and Utah State University for classes in advanced academies sponsored by the Center for Civic Education.
Angela Turek
High School English
Angela received her B.A. in English from Boston University and taught as a Teach for America corps member at Collins High School in Chicago. She went on to become the national director for Kaplan Premier Tutoring & Pre-College Test advisors. She is well rounded with interests in journalism, scrapbooking, historical fiction, photography and writing.
Jeremy Wickenheiser
High School Biology/Science
Jeremy graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2005, earning a B.A. in creative studies with an emphasis in biology. Prior to coming to DSST, Jeremy taught integrated physics, chemistry and scientific research and design at Edcouch-Elsa High School. While at Edcouch-Elsa High School, Jeremy started a solar car racing program, advised a National Engineering Design Competition team, coached the varsity soccer team and organized trips to various universities in Texas.
Kateri Williams
Assistant Director of College Placement
Kateri joins DSST with extensive experience in college placement, educational advising and recruiting. Prior to joining the DSST team, Kateri was an enrollment counselor with Colorado Christian University where she recruited and enrolled students in the university’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies. She has a B.A. in sociology from the University of Colorado and an M.A. in social sciences from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Katie Ziemba
High School Humanities
Prior to coming to DSST, Katie worked as a humanities teacher at Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in New York where she was instrumental in raising reading and writing skills two grade levels. She has been the recipient of several grants while also founding and coaching varsity girls basketball at the Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School. While working with Teach for America for the past five years, Katie was committed to the Teach for America mission that “one day all children will have the opportunity for an excellent education."
DSST: Stapleton Middle School
Peter Barclay
Middle School Director of Athletics
Peter Barclay graduated from Brunel University in London with a degree in sports science. He was a teaching assistant for two years and a coach for several years before becoming the Athletic Director and health and PE teacher at DSST. When Peter isn’t planning lessons to teach his students how to lead healthy lifestyles, he can be found on the rugby pitch playing for the Denver Barbarians. In addition to rugby, he enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking and practically anything that gets him outdoors and physically active. He looks forward to implementing a new athletic program at DSST and offering DSST's diverse student body the opportunity to get fit, be healthy and have fun.
Wilmer Barrera
Middle School Spanish
Before joining DSST, Wilmer taught high school Spanish and coached the varsity girls soccer team at Pinnacle Charter School in Federal Heights, Colorado. Previously, Wilmer played professional soccer with clubs in his home country of Honduras, as well as with clubs in the U.S. Wilmer has a B.A. in modern language and international business from the Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Jen Behrens
Middle School Director of Instruction and Curriculum
Jen graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in government, and founded the Frank Lloyd Wright Society on campus. She taught 8th grade science, social studies and language arts in Phoenix as a Teach for America (TFA) corps member. She joined TFA Colorado’s staff as a regional founding Program Director, where she supported pre-K through high school teachers. She has served as a corps member advisor and school director at the TFA Atlanta training institute. Jen values the data analysis and purposeful backwards planning at DSST. She also enjoys cooking, reading, hiking and walking.
Teri Creach
Middle School Social Studies
Prior to joining DSST, Teri taught 5th grade literacy at Colfax Elementary School for three years with Teach for America (TFA) in Denver, where was very involved in their turn-around effort. Before joining TFA, she worked extensively in operations management and in technical training and support. Teri has a B.A. in political science and pre-law, as well as a master's degree in curriculum and instruction, both from University of Colorado at Denver.
Allison Cunningham
Middle School PE/Health
Allison works in the PE/health department as a teacher, as well as a girls volleyball and basketball coach. Allison has a B.A. in kinesiology from Texas A&M, and an M.A. in youth and family ministry from the Denver Seminary. Allison also has extensive experience as a physical trainer, and previously taught PE/heath at the International Christian School of Budapest, Hungary.
Heather Curran
Middle School Math
Heather graduated from the University of Georgia with a double major in political science and Spanish. After graduation, Heather moved to Phoenix where she taught elementary school for five years. While in Phoenix, Heather earned her master's degree in curriculum and instruction and worked as a translator for her district. Before moving to Denver, she taught English and language arts in Veracruz, Mexico. In her spare time, Heather enjoys playing guitar, tennis, traveling and getting outside to enjoy the beautiful state of Colorado.
Erin Dillon
Middle School Social Studies/6-12 Social Studies Department Chair
While teaching 8th grade U.S. history in Charlotte, NC, Erin received her education certification in middle school social studies. She graduated from Asbury College with a bachelor's degree in psychology. During part of her teaching career at Southwest Middle School, she chaired the social studies department and coached basketball. Erin loves interacting with a diverse student body, working with a staff of excellent educators and making significant academic gains as a community.
Courtni Frank
Middle School English
Courtni is currently an 8th grade English teacher at Rachel B. Noel Middle School in Denver, Colorado. Before moving back to Denver, Courtni was with Teach for America in the Richmond, California where she taught high school special education. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder and M.A. in education from Alliant International University in San Francisco.
Rich Harrison
Middle School Director
Rich comes to DSST after his service as both a principal and English teacher at Cole College Prep in Denver where he was instrumental in overseeing the school’s activities, implementing a positive learning environment, preparing students for rigorous high school programs and developing and teaching reading and writing courses. Rich has a long career in academics where he continues to strive to help both teachers and students reach strong academic goals. He received his B.A. in English language and literature from the University of Chicago and completed graduate course work in American studies from Columbia University. Rich is fluent in Japanese and proficient in Spanish.
Jessica Heesacker
Middle School Social Studies Teacher
Prior to DSST, Jessica worked as an administrator at the Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy in Chicago. Before moving into this role, she taught world studies there. Previously, she was an AmeriCorps member with City Year Chicago, and worked with the Paul Revere School. Jessica has a B.S. in education and human sciences from the University of Nebraska and a Masters in school leadership from Concordia University.
Sarah Johnson
Middle School Math
Sarah came to DSST from Chicago, Illinois where she grew up. She has taught math and science in both public and private schools on the west side of Chicago. Prior to teaching, she worked for two educational nonprofit organizations. Sarah has her M.A. in education from Northwestern University and she received her B.A. from DePauw University in Indiana. She is looking forward to hiking, running and exploring the outdoors of Colorado while fulfilling the mission of serving a diverse population of students at DSST.
Diona Jones
Middle School Office Assistant
Diona was born and raised in sunny California where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of La Verne. She moved to Denver in 2009 and joined DSST because she totally believes in the core values. She is excited to be a part of an organization that truly embraces diversity and believes that all students of every ethnic background and socioeconomic status can be outstanding students. Although Diona is sad that there are not any beaches in Colorado, she is very interested in discovering the exciting activities that the state has to offer.
Jonathan Lewis
Middle School Math
Jonathan moved to Colorado after finishing his M.A. in education leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University. Previously, he taught high school science with the Holy Cross School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jonathan started his teaching career with Teach for America in New Orleans. Jonathan has a B.A. in computer science from Bucknell University.
Joe Marik
Middle School Math
Joe completed his middle school years in Darien, Illinois but moved outside to a suburb of New York City for high school. In 2006, he graduated from Boston College with degrees in both economics and history. After college, he joined Teach for America and spent three years teaching high school economics in Memphis, Tennessee. For fun, Joe enjoys summer outdoor activities such as hiking and camping, as well as playing organized soccer.
Stefan McVoy
Middle School Science Teacher/6-12 Science Department Chair
Stefan came to DSST after several years with KIPP in Denver. He was the founding teacher at KIPP Cole College Prep and then moved to KIPP Sunshine Peak. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology from the University of Colorado. Stefan enjoys being outdoors.
Nina Miller
Middle School English
Nina, after spending a number of years teaching English literature at the university level, was recently selected as a corps member with Teach for America. Previously, she taught at Iowa State University and at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Nina has a B.A. in English and psychology from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University.
Nicole Najmy
Middle School Science
Before joining DSST, Nicole was a science teacher at the Urban Institute of Mathematics (I.S. 371) in the Bronx, New York. She is a member of the New York City Teaching Fellows program, which has been very instrumental and effective in training high quality teachers for NYC schools. She has a B.A. in animal behavior from Bucknell University.
Kellen O'Brien
Middle School English
Kellen received dual Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Wisconsin in English and journalism. After two years working in media, he taught for three years in Memphis, Tennessee as a Teach for America charter corps member. He loves working as a 7th grade teacher with an amazing group of talented and forward-thinking staff, students and families. It doesn’t hurt that Denver offers a chance to partake in Ultimate Frisbee and skiing, two of his favorite activities.
Hillary Pehrson
Middle School Math
Before joining DSST, Hillary taught algebra 1 at Holt High School and algebra 1 and functions/statistics/trigonometry at Haslett High School as part of her teaching internship program in Michigan. Hillary graduated from Michigan State University with a B.S. in mathematics and a minor in chemistry and secondary education.
Melody Pinacoli
Middle School Office Manager
Melody graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy. She has worked in a variety of healthcare environments, serving people with a wide range of abilities and needs, including using assistive technology and computer access. Melody enjoys traveling and meeting new people and loves the challenge and excitement of helping the middle school meet educational goals.
Brianna Rader
Middle School English Teacher/6-12 English Department Chair
Brianna attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and received a bachelor's degree in English literature and secondary education. Prior to DSST, Brianna taught several English literature courses to senior students and worked with middle schools in the Boulder and Denver areas, focusing primarily on intervention courses in reading and writing. She is passionate about the vision of DSST and looks forward to continuing to be challenged in instructional practices.
Leslie Raynor
Middle School Special Education Director
Leslie started her career in special education in Washington, D.C., earning her master's degree at The George Washington University. She earned her bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University and her administrator's license from the University of Colorado at Denver. Living and working in Colorado for the past ten years, Leslie has worked at the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning, Fletcher Elementary in Aurora Public Schools and Graland Country Day School. She is particularly passionate about literacy and empowering all students to become life-long learners. She enjoys yoga, Pilates, reading, the mountains, and spending time with her husband and two young sons.
Eva Rodrigues
Middle School Dean of 8th Grade
Eva is currently finishing an M.A. program in education foundations, policy, and practice at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Previously, she served as a teacher, academic advisor and program coordinator at the Bronx Charter School for Children and Dual Language Middle School (MS 247) in New York City. Eva has a B.A. in psychology from Barnard College.
Nicole Russo
Middle School English
Nicole taught English and social studies at a high-performing middle school in the Bronx, New York. She received her bachelor's degree in English from Iona College, and her master's degree in middle school education from Mercy College. She is also trained in gifted & talented education through Touro College. While teaching in the Bronx, she was the co-chairperson of the Enrichment Committee, Student Council advisor, member of the Professional Development Committee, secretary of the Professional Association and writing teacher for the Counseling Through Music Program.
Kelly Schokmiller
Middle School English
Kelly graduated from the University of Missouri with an undergraduate degree in parks, recreation, and tourism and a Masters in education with a concentration in middle school English. She is most interested in the level at which DSST challenges its students and staff to ensure that both students and teachers are as successful as possible. Kelly looks forward to another exciting, challenging, fun-filled year with the seventh grade students and middle school staff.
Sara Shapiro
Special Education/Reading Intervention
Sara moved to Denver from St. Louis, where she completed her undergraduate work at Washington University. She was selected as a corps member with Teach for America, and teaches special education and reading intervention at DSST, both in the middle and high school. Sara has a B.A. in political science and minors in history and writing.
Jessica Schwarz
Middle School Science
Jessica is currently in graduate school for educational psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. At CU, She served as a teaching assistant for the geography department and was an instructor with the Summer Science Discovery Program. Previously, Jessica worked at West Hawaii Explorations Public Charter School. Jessica has a B.S. in fisheries and wildlife management from Michigan State University and an M.A. in geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Cecilia Shanahan
Middle School Dean of 6th and 7th Grade
Prior to DSST, Cecilia worked as an administrative intern at Greenwood ECE-8 as part of The Ritchie Program for School Leaders (University of Denver). Previously, Cecilia taught 4th grade at Knapp Elementary in Denver with Teach for America. Cecilia has a B.S. in communications from Ohio University and an M.A. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Erik Smith
Middle School Science
Before coming to DSST, Erik taught 7th and 8th grade earth and physical science, as well as literacy intervention, at Farrell B. Howell as a Denver Teaching Fellow (part of The New Teacher Project). Previously, Erik worked as curriculum developer for ESL students in Gwangyang, South Korea. Eric has a B.S. in earth science from Michigan State University.
Lauren Snella
Middle School Science
Prior to teaching at DSST, Lauren taught 8th grade science at Place Bridge Academy as a Teach for America corps member. She has an extensive science background and a B.A. in molecular, cellular and developmental biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is also finishing up a master's program in curriculum and instruction at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Jeff Thomsen
Middle School Art Teacher
Jeff received his B.A. in art education from Colorado State University. He has been teaching for three years and comes to DSST with elementary school teaching experience. He looks forward to building a relationship with every student and fostering creativity in the classroom. He enjoys playing volleyball and tennis, and he typically uses his bike or longboard to get around town.
Kathy Zolla
Middle School Math Teacher/6-12 Math Department Chair
Kathy obtained her master's degree in elementary and middle school education with minors in math and Spanish from the University of Kansas. She taught 5th grade and sponsored math and logic clubs for two years at a school in Kansas City, Missouri. Kathy shares the energy, passion and enthusiasm of the students and staff at DSST.
DSST: Green Valley Ranch (GVR) Middle School
Connor Allman
Middle School English
Prior to teaching at DSST, Connor taught 4th grade at P.S. 4 Elementary School in New York City. Connor has been awarded the Accelerated Reader Master Educator Award and the Award for Highest Student Scores on the NYSESLAT. Connor has a Bachelor of Arts in English and theater from Princeton University. Connor has a Master of Science in education with a TESOL endorsement from the City College of New York.
Vachon Brackett
Middle School Associate Director
Vachon was part of the founding team of the DSST: Stapleton campus as the Dean of Students. Vachon’s leadership and dedication to supporting students has helped shape what our Stapleton campus and middle school model is today. Before joining DSST (and helping to create the #1 middle school in Denver Public Schools), Vachon taught 5th grade math with KIPP in Denver. Vachon is a graduate of Colorado College, and has a B.S. in mathematics and economics.
Heather Dannettell
Middle School Math
Heather completed her student teaching at University High School in Greeley, CO where she taught pre-calculus. Heather truly uses technology to transform her classroom and make her lessons available online. Heather has a degree in mathematical sciences from the University of Northern Colorado in Greely. Heather was a member of several Honor Societies and held several academic honors while in college.
Jessica Degenhart
Middle School Director
Between 2004 and 2006, Jessica served as a Teach for America corps member on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico teaching math. After TFA, Jessica moved back to Colorado, where she grew up, to be close to her family. Jessica taught high school math at DSST: Stapleton for 3 years and served as the math department chair. She has taught algebra 1 and 2, geometry, and AP calculus. Last year, Jessica served as the Dean of Students at DSST: Stapleton and planned for the opening of the DSST: GVR campus. Jessica strives to model and provide leadership around DSST’s core instructional practices. She holds an M.A. from the University of Denver in school leadership, has trained teachers for Teach for America and was a Fulbright Scholar in India for summer study.
Josh Hugo
Middle School Social Studies
Prior to teaching at DSST: GVR, Josh taught 6th grade social studies at the DSST: Stapleton campus. Josh has taken an active role in creating our social studies curriculum and helping to create a strong school culture. Josh has a B.A. in anthropology and a B.A. in peace studies, as well as his Masters in education, from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to working at DSST, Josh was a middle school social studies teacher and basketball coach at Most Pure Heart of Mary School in Mobile, Alabama. During that time he was a member of the Alliance for Catholic Education.
Jamie Kodner
Middle School Math
Jamie was one of the founding math teachers at the DSST: Stapleton campus, where 81% of 6th graders last year scored Proficient or Advanced in mathematics on the CSAP (district average is 47%). Before joining DSST, Jamie was a Teach for America corps member in Chicago and taught kindergarten and 1st grade. Jamie has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and an M.A. in teaching from Dominican University.
Laura Landgreen
Middle School English
Laura completed her M.A. in psychology studies in education at the University of California at Los Angeles. Prior to attending graduate school, Laura taught 4th grade at Hooper Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles. She has also taught 1st grade at Edison Brentwood Academy Charter School in East Palo Alto, California. Laura has a B.S. in education from the University of Nebraska where she was also on the swim team.
Jeff Osborne
Middle School Dean of Students
Jeff is currently working to help DSST: GVR administration successfully manage DSST’s second campus. He is a founding member of the DSST: Stapleton Middle School team and will eventually serve as the third campus middle school director. During his time at DSST: Stapleton, Jeff served as a 6th grade house leader and brought Open World Learning (the school’s first robotic competition team) and Wings Over the Rockies (a Wings Aviation science program) to the middle school. He was also a featured presenter at the Morgridge Family Share Fair in 2009 and 2010 with fellow DSST staffer Stefan McVoy. Jeff loves living in Colorado and enjoys snowboarding, trail running and spending time with his fiancée and dogs in the mountains.
Darlene Rosas
Middle School Office Manager
Darlene is the office manager at the DSST: GVR Campus and manages the admissions lottery, enrollment and orientation. Prior to working at DSST, Darlene was the school secretary at Oakland Elementary School in the Montbello/Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. Darlene’s two daughters currently attend DSST and are great students! If you have any questions Darlene is a great person to ask.
Kelly Schlegel
Middle School Science
Prior to teaching at DSST, Kelly taught 7th grade science at Inman Middle School. This past year, 97% of her students passed the state test which ranks them 6th in the state! Kelly has been awarded the State Superintendent’s Distinguished Achievement Award, the Georgia Master Teacher Award, and the Atlanta Families Award for Excellence in Education. Kelly has her B.S. from Purdue in industrial engineering and her M.A. from Georgia State University in middle grades science and mathematics.
Shawn Smith
Middle School Special Education Coordinator/PE Teacher
Shawn joined our team as Special Education Coordinator (and will temporarily teach PE in the 2010-11 school year). Shawn is data-driven and is passionate about student development and growth. Prior to teaching at DSST, Shawn taught special education and social studies at Ridgeview Academy. Shawn has a Bachelor of Science in integrated social studies education from Miami University. He is currently working on his master’s degree in special education at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Jim Trainer
Middle School Science
Prior to teaching at DSST, Jim taught 7th and 8th grade science at Waianae Intermediate School in Hawaii as a Teach for America corps member. While there, he helped develop inquiry based curriculum and integrate the use of technology in the classroom. You can check out his classes’ website at http://lifesciencewis.blogspot.com. Prior to teaching in Hawaii, Jim was a science teacher at The Lighthouse School in North Bend, Oregon as a National Science Foundation Teaching Fellow. Jim has a B.S. in biology from Lafayette College, a M.S. in biology from the University of Oregon, and an M.A. in teaching from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Valerie Wilkinson
Middle School Art
Valerie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communication from the University of Northern Colorado and is currently completing her B.F.A. in jewelry design metalsmithing. Valerie has a passion for the arts and developing critical and creative thinkers. She loves collaborating on ways to integrate curriculum from core content classes into her art program. Valerie completed her student teaching at various schools in the Denver Metro area, including MESA and The Odyssey School.
DSST Public Schools Home Office
Mariah Dickson
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Before coming to DSST, Mariah served as a Senior Consultant to the Colorado Small Schools Initiative at the Colorado Children's Campaign, providing coaching, technical assistance and professional development to the teachers, principals, schools and districts participating in this national reform initiative. She also spent 10 years as a teacher and administrator in small high schools and was the Director of Teaching and Learning at the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC). Mariah has an M.A. in English from Tufts University and a B.A. in humanities from Stanford University.
Rachel Galvan
Accounting Assistant
Rachel moved from Houston to Denver in 2008. She graduated from Texas A&M University with an undergraduate degree in accounting in 1998 and a master's degree in accounting in 1999. Upon graduation, Rachel worked in the public accounting field at KPMG for a year before moving into the treasury department of BMC Software, where she worked for seven years. Rachel joined the DSST accounting team in May of 2009.
Bill Kurtz
Chief Executive Officer
Before joining DSST, Bill served as the Principal of Link Community School in Newark, NJ. He graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in political science and earned an M.A. from Columbia University's Teachers College in educational administration and leadership.
Meg Lafave
Staff Recruitment Coordinator
Meg graduated from Purdue University with a degree in kinesiology and pre-medical science. After college, Meg joined Teach for America-Colorado where she taught science for two years at an alternative high school. Outside of her work at DSST, Meg is pursuing an M.B.A. at the University of Denver and enjoys cooking, running and Pilates.
Jon Liu
Technology Integrator
Jon moved from Palm Springs, California to Denver with his wife and two children in June of 2007. He has a master's degree in educational technology from Pepperdine University, and spent four years as a technology teacher and coordinator at Desert Hot Springs High School in California. Jon enjoys most outdoor activities including skiing, wakeboarding, mountain biking, hockey, swimming, cycling and many other sports. He also spends his free time working on computer building websites and learning new and exciting things to share with his students.
Christine Nelson
Chief of Staff
Before joining the Home Office team at DSST, Christine worked as a program manager at the National Conference for State Legislatures, where she advised legislators across the country on policies impacting children and families. She was a senior staff member to former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, a candidate for public office, a co-founder of two successful Minnesota charter schools and a recipient of a German Marshall Fund Fellowship (2008). She holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Minnesota. She spends her free time with her husband, Bruce Vandal, and children Ben (a DSST 6th grader), Zoe (8) and Ella (6).
Bret Poppleton
Director of Finance and Operations
Bret joined DSST after working for a non-profit organization in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he loved traveling, building community and experiencing European culture. Bret has a B.B.A. in finance from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Penn State University. He enjoys cycling, mountain biking and many other outdoor pursuits, but his real passion is his family. He is married to Jayla and together they have three sons, Asher, Isaac and Theo.
Kathie Kramer Ryan
Director of Advancement
Kathie came to DSST from The Lab at Belmar, an arts organization in Lakewood, Colorado, where as deputy director she led fundraising and all business functions of the organization. Kathie has also held fundraising positions at the Denver Art Museum and the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program (RAAP). Kathie is an entrepreneur, having owned and operated a successful restaurant in Winter Park, Colorado. In 2000, she gave away the restaurant in an essay contest, prompting two appearances on NBC’s The Today Show. Kathie serves as Board President for the Colorado chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Rachel San Luis
Fellow
Rachel graduated from Colorado College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and film and a minor in Spanish. While there, she served as co-chair of Aprender Mediante Amistad (a Colorado Springs-based tutoring and mentoring program), and worked as a new media project assistant for the Colorado College Office of Communications. Rachel is passionate about storytelling and enjoys documentary filmmaking. As a military child, she grew up in California, Florida, Guam, Japan, Alaska and Colorado. She enjoys traveling, and recently returned from working at a learning center in the Dominican Republic. Rachel is active in her church, and loves getting to know new people. To stay active, she likes snowboarding, pickup soccer and Latin dancing.
Roger Siggs
Senior Systems Administrator
Roger has been involved in IT for over 13 years and brings a wide range of experience in academic information technology to DSST. During his tenure at Glendale Community College, Roger led the IT team to back-to-back 'Innovation of the Year' awards from EDUCause, and developed the 'Instructional Palette', GCCs student access and resource environment. Roger serves as the primary systems architect for DSST, and in his free time teaches historical European martial arts with the Rocky Mountain Swordplay Guild. Roger and his wife Sasha are DSST parents, with their oldest son (of three) starting classes this year at the DSST: Stapleton campus.
Sarah Skeen
Development and Communications Coordinator
Sarah came to DSST from The Lab at Belmar, an arts organization in Lakewood, Colorado, where as manager of operations and development, she oversaw the day to day operations of the museum and assisted in all fundraising efforts in support of exhibitions and programming. She also served as the communications point person handling all press and media relations for the institution. Sarah spent 14 years at the gardening company Smith and Hawken, developing and implementing all training initiatives for the 60-store retail chain.