Commission Members
Biographical Sketches
Lucia Guzman, Co-Chair
Reverend Guzman is Vice Chair of the Board of Education of the Denver Public Schools, representing District 5. She has served on the Board since 1999. The Reverend Ms. Lucia Guzman is a well-known and respected Denver community member, leader, businesswoman, and ordained church clergywoman of the United Methodist faith. Rev. Guzman’s philosophy is one of charging all district students to demonstrate achievement. Hailing from Katy, Texas near the city of Houston, Rev. Guzman believes her mother provided her a legacy of education and the desire to see children achieve their full potential. In 1994, Rev. Guzman became the first woman and the first Mexican American to serve as Executive Director of the Colorado Council of Churches. Rev. Guzman also serves on numerous other boards, committees, and community boards. Voted as one of the people to watch during 2001 by The Denver Post, Rev. Guzman continues to break new ground in the service of her schools and her community
Dorothy A. Horrell, Co-Chair
Dr. Horrell is President of the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. She joined the Foundation as Executive Director in January 2001 and was named its President in September 2002. Bonfils-Stanton Foundation is a private foundation and focuses its philanthropy throughout Colorado in the areas of arts and culture, community service, and science and medicine. This appointment followed her retirement as President of the Community Colleges of Colorado, a system of thirteen two-year public colleges that serve over a quarter of a million students each year. Her 27-year career as an educator also includes being President of Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood and holding a variety of administrative and teaching positions at the high school and college levels. She has been active in educational and human services policy development at the local, state, and federal levels. Dr. Horrell is a native of Holyoke, Colorado and earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Colorado State University. She has served in leadership positions on a number of civic and nonprofit boards and is currently on the boards of Exempla Healthcare, First National Bank of Colorado, Arrupe Jesuit High School, and the Colorado Women’s Forum.
Hank Baker
Hank Baker is the Senior Vice President – Marketing for Forest City Stapleton, Inc., the development company that is transforming the former Stapleton International Airport into a new community of 12,000 homes, 35,000 jobs and more than 1,100 acres of parks and open space. Mr. Baker, who opened Forest City’s Denver office in June 1998, is currently responsible for developing the overall image of the new Stapleton as well as coordinating the affordable housing, telecommunication & educational initiatives in the community. During his 22 years in real estate development, Mr. Baker has had direct responsibility for the acquisition, design, development and management of nearly $750 million in urban real estate projects. From 1986 to 1992, Hank was in charge of Forest City’s San Francisco office and, more recently, spent three years as Vice President of Marketing for a division of the Irvine Company, owner of the 90,000 – acre master planned Irvine Ranch in Southern California. Hank is a graduate of Cornell University and resides with his wife and six year old daughter in Denver’s Country Club neighborhood.
Brian Barhaugh
Brian Barhaugh founded YouthBiz with eight inner city teens in 1992. He came toYouthBiz from the construction industry where he spent 12 years in supervision/management and eight years as owner of a commercial general contracting firm. He has 18 years of inner-city revitalization non-profit management experience. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a B.A. in Economics. His family (fiancé, Roz, and daughter, Paloma) is the center of his life. Brian loves the out-of-doors where he enjoys gardening, backpacking, and oddball log construction projects.
Dana H. Bryson
Dana H. Bryson is currently Director of the Denver Office of Accountability and Reform, a new Cabinet level position created by Mayor John Hickenlooper at the beginning of his administration. As Director of the Office, she is responsible for managing the operations of the City with increased efficiency of service delivery and reduced costs, making Denver the most efficient and best run city in the country. Prior to accepting this position she was Chief of Staff for the City of Oakland, California (1999-2001)--overseeing daily operations and leading a major citywide initiative to streamline City services. Prior to joining the City of Oakland, Dana worked in the technology sector as the Director of Community Business Development for govWorks.com in San Francisco, California, developing the company's socially responsible business strategy, which tied revenue generation to the creation of community technology centers in low-income communities. In 1999, Dana completed a Masters Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was an editor of the Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, co-chair of the Harvard International Development Conference, Harvard recipient of the 1998 Kellogg Foundation Fellowship award for Leadership in the Non-profit Sector. Her thesis, which she conducted for the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (UNDAW), was nominated for both the Best Thesis Award and the Women in Public Policy Award. Before attending graduate school, Dana spent several years working in HIV/AIDS prevention community planning. As co-founder of the nonprofit, the Yampa Valley HIV/AIDS Coalition in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, she created a rural HIV/AIDS information system, which became the basis for a statewide network. In her work with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, she worked to create and implement a community participation framework for Colorado's 1998-2000 Comprehensive HIV Prevention Plan. This plan is currently the national model for public participation in HIV prevention and community planning and earned her team the coveted "parity award" from the International Association for Public Participation. She was born in Oakland, CA, and grew-up in Denver, Colorado, a biracial daughter of politically active parents. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1992 with a bachelor degree in Foreign Affairs and French Literature.
Ariel D. Cisneros
Ariel Cisneros serves as senior advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City where he is responsible for identifying and meeting the community and economic development informational needs of bankers, community organization representatives and government officials. He has completed research and organized workshops and conferences that provide information on community and economic development opportunities, partnerships, the CRA and related compliance issues, and makes presentations on these subjects. He serves on various committees and councils dedicated to community and economic development. Prior to joining the Kansas City Fed, Cisneros served seven years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in the community affairs office. Cisneros also served four years as campaign director of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and has also worked overseas, serving in the U.S. Peace Corps as a community extension officer in Botswana, Africa, for approximately three years. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a focus on international development from the University of Texas at Austin. Cisneros is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado.
Leanna Clark
Leanna Clark serves as a principal and co-owner of Schenkein where she has played an instrumental role in helping the 30-person agency become recognized as one of the top 10 mid-size public relations firms in America. She has 15 years of marketing, public relations and media experience, with special expertise in community relations, media relations, and media training and issues management. At Schenkein, Leanna manages teams for many of the agency's major accounts, including First Data, Western Union, Qwest, Great-West Healthcare and Dex Media. She also oversees the agency's pro bono work for The City of Denver's marketing initiative and for Denver Public Schools. Leanna is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) as well as the Counselor's Academy of PRSA. She has received her APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) and has served on the PRSA Colorado Chapter's Board of Directors, as well as the Executive Committee. Active in the local community, Leanna serves on the Board of Directors for Colorado Public Radio, the Denver Metro Chamber Foundation and the Women's Vision Foundation. She serves on Mayor Hickenlooper's Leadership Team on Early Childhood Education as well as his marketing "Think Tank." A graduate of the Denver Metro Chamber's Leadership Denver program, Leanna serves as co-chair of the Chamber's Leadership Denver Alumni Association's executive council as well as on the Chamber's Cultural and Scientific Committee. She is a past board member for Colorado Ballet and the Colorado March of Dimes. She has been recognized by The Denver Business Journal as one of the "Forty Under 40" top young business leaders and received national recognition from the Universal Press Syndicate as part of its "Workwise" Awards, honoring innovation and creativity among workplace leaders. In addition, she was named a 1999 "Woman of Achievement" by the Colorado chapter of the Association for Women in Communications. A Colorado native, Leanna holds a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she graduated with highest honors. Leanna and her husband are the parents of two-year old twins and make their home in Denver's Hilltop neighborhood.
Judi A. Diaz-Bonacquisti
Judi Diaz-Bonacquisti is the Director of the Minority Engineering Program (MEP) and an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Colorado School of Mines where she is involved in the recruitment, retention, professional development and graduation of ethnic and racial minority students. Promoted to Director in August 2000, Judi began at MEP as Associate Director in July 1997. Prior to joining CSM, Judi was a civil engineer who worked for a consulting firm that specializes in water and wastewater design systems. A native of Pueblo, Colorado, Judi holds a Masters of Business Administration, Management Emphasis, from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University. Judi is married to Mr. Paul Bonacquisti and is the mother of Marisa Diaz, born in May 2003. She enjoys running, socializing with family and friends and participating in numerous community organizations including the Hispanic Education Advisory Council to Denver Public Schools and the Colorado Educational Services and Development Association.
Regina Groff
Regina C. Groff is an ordained Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. A native of Brooklyn, New York, she is currently the Senior Associate Minister at Shorter Community A.M.E. Church in Denver, Colorado. Rev. Groff received both her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and her Master of Divinity degrees from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. As a Divinity student, she was awarded a Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship and a Dean's scholarship. In spring '04, Duke Divinity selected her to travel to South Africa in the upcoming summer for a Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope. Currently, Rev. Groff is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction. Her dissertation topic will focus on "The role of Christian education in developing resiliency among urban African American youth." In addition to travel and academic interests, Rev. Groff has dedicated her life to working with young people. As an advocate for youth, she believes strongly in the slogan for the Children's Defense Fund - "Leave No Child Behind." She maintains that if we are to ascertain that "no child is left behind," we must first pray, and then, act. She has begun her mission by serving youth through working in the schools and supporting youth centered programs in the church and the community. She has also developed a proposal for a program entitled, Words Up! - A Circle of Hope for Young Readers where children ages 6-8 can gather on Saturday mornings during the summer to read a variety of African American authored books. In addition to literacy, another one of Rev. Groff's passions is to address issues surrounding domestic violence and its impact on children who are victims or witnesses of abuse in the home. Among her honors, Rev. Groff was selected as a 1996-1997 associate-scholar for the Rocky Mountain Women's Institute; was admitted as a member of the 2001-2002 inaugural class of State Senator Gloria Tanner's Future Black Women Leaders of Colorado; and was honored in the category of religion at A Tribute to Black Women by the Colorado Black Women for Political Action (2003). She is profiled in the Colorado Leadership Profiles (2000), Who's Who Among African Americans (2001) and in the African American Voice (March 2004) as one of the "Colorado Women Poised to Make History." Rev. Groff is married to State Senator Peter C. Groff. They are the parents of a son – Malachi Charles, and a daughter – Moriah Cherie.
Maria Guajardo Lucero
Dr. Guajardo Lucero is currently executive director of the Mayor's Office for Education and Children in Denver. A licensed clinical psychologist, she previously served as the founding executive director of Assets for Colorado Youth, a $10 million positive youth development initiative funded by The Colorado Trust. Maria serves as a trustee to two universities--the University of Denver and Soka University of America. She recently was awarded the "Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award" for her leadership and commitment for excellence in public education. Dr. Guajardo Lucero graduated with honors from Harvard University and earned her Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Denver. Maria is an author, a mother, a community volunteer, and a national speaker.
Debbie Jessup
Debbie Jessup is President of KeyBank National Association's Colorado District. In this capacity, she is responsible for sales, service and strategic activities for Key's Colorado District, which currently includes 51 KeyCenter (branch) locations and nearly 700 employees. In addition, Ms. Jessup serves as District Sales Manager for the McDonald Financial Group in Colorado, which offers comprehensive financial services to individuals from 87 offices in 15 states. Prior to her dual appointments with Key in Colorado, Ms. Jessup served as senior vice president of the McDonald Financial Group. Since coming to Key in Colorado 1995, she has held a variety of senior management positions including head of retail banking, head of private banking, and regional marketing director. She began her career with KeyBank in Cincinnati, serving as a marketing/product analyst, assistant vice president of commercial lending, and district marketing director. An active member of the community, Jessup is a graduate of the 2000 Leadership Denver program for influential area business leaders and a past board member for the Partners Mentoring Association. She has volunteered as a coordinator for Junior Achievement and has served on the board of Urban Peak. Active in organizations supporting youth and education, Jessup currently serves on the board for Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement and The Young Americans Center for Financial Education and co-chair of its annual Celebration for Young Entrepreneurs. Debbie is also a member of Colorado Concern and most recently served on the Governor's Task Force for Transportation and Finance. She holds bachelors degrees in economics and speech communication from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
Christine Johnson
Dr. Christine Johnson has 26 years experience as an educator. She is Director of Urban Initiatives with the Education Commission of the States examining structure, governance and redesign of urban schools. She is a member of the National Assessment Governing Board that created national standards for what America students should know and be able to do, commonly called The Nation's Report Card. She was also a Member of the National Commission on the Study of the Senior Year. Dr. Johnson is involved in numerous professional and civic associations at many levels where she champions equity and excellence in public and higher education. As President of the Community College of Denver, she leads a multi-campus, culturally and ethnically diverse institution with an annual FTE of approximately 14,000 students. Dr. Johnson was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Fund for the Improvement of Secondary Education and was recently honored by the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for being the first Hispanic Woman College President in Colorado, and by the Girl Scouts of America as a "Woman of Distinction" Award winner.
Stephen H. Kaplan
Stephen H. Kaplan is a Partner with Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell. Throughout his professional career, Mr. Kaplan has participated in the negotiation of complicated public-private partnerships from several different perspectives. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Kaplan was the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation, with responsibility for advising and representing the Department and its various agencies including, among others, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration. He supervised policy on issues ranging from airport revenue diversion to privatization and from regulatory reform to the implementation of environmental policies. Among other agreements, Mr. Kaplan negotiated the U.S. – Canada Aviation Bilateral Agreement signed by President Clinton and Prime Minister Chretien in February 1995. Mr. Kaplan also served for seven years as the City Attorney of Denver, Colorado. He was actively involved in negotiations, which led to the development of the new Denver International Airport, the Colorado Convention Center and the governance structure and financing for Denver's Major League Baseball stadium. Mr. Kaplan's recent experience includes representing the master developer of the former Stapleton International Airport, representing the authority created to finance, build and operate an 1,100 room convention center hotel, participating on the master planning team on land use and governance issues for the redevelopment of a downtown train station into a regional multi-modal facility, advising private and public entities on transit and highway matters, and representing airports on matters ranging from access issues to noise issues. Mr. Kaplan has a B.A. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the Colorado and Oklahoma Bar. He is a member of the Board and former President of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation. Chair of the Denver Public Schools Citizens Bond Committee and former Member of the Board of the Denver Zoo, Childrens' Museum and Safe House.
Jesse King
Jesse King served as the Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for the Daniels Fund. Before joining the Daniels Fund, he was a Manager at the Rockefeller Foundation where he focused on the development and engagement of emerging philanthropists and promising social entrepreneurs. Mr. King consults in the arenas of philanthropy, nonprofit development, and leadership and has assisted the California Endowment, Ford Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, to develop philanthropic strategies for community investment and leadership development. His work in the non-profit sector includes work for the Children's Defense Fund, the Black Community Crusade for Children, and the Colorado Outward Bound School. In the private sector Mr. King serves on the board of directors for Net2Phone, an emerging telecommunications company. Mr. King is active in the Colorado community and has served on several non-profit boards and special committees. Annually, he works as the senior facilitator for a bi-partisan private think tank that examines political, economic, and social issues facing the world. He graduated from the University of Iowa and resides in Evergreen, Colorado.
Virginia Maloney
Dr. Virginia Maloney became the Dean of the College of Education at the University of Denver in 2001. Previously, she was the Executive Director of the Sturm Family Foundation, a Denver-based philanthropic foundation with funding initiatives in the fields of K-12 education, higher education, affordable housing, and Jewish life. As a member of several funding partnerships, she has had the opportunity to form relationships with Denver foundations interested in education reform, the leadership of local school systems, teacher union leadership, and policy makers on the state and local level. Before moving to Denver, Dr. Maloney worked in an executive capacity at nonprofit organizations providing education and family support services to children with disabilities and children "at risk" in Illinois and Virginia. As Associate Executive Director of the National Lekotek Center in Evanston, Illinois, she was responsible for program development and administration of model demonstration programs providing play-based and assistive technology services to young children. She provided oversight and training for a national network of 60 affiliated Lekotek centers. As Training Coordinator at the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center, a federally funded parent information and training center serving the states of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland, she was responsible for developing and delivering training programs for teachers, principals, central administrators, and parents. Beginning her career as a preschool teacher in a classroom demonstrating the inclusion of children with significant disabilities, Dr. Maloney remains a dedicated supporter of quality early childhood education for all children. Dr. Maloney received her B.A. from Yale University as a member of the first graduating class to include women. She has an M.A. in Education and Human Development and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. As a doctoral student she focused her study and research on public education policy and organization behavior and development.
James Mejia
James Mejia graduates in June 2004 with a mid-career master's degree in public policy from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Prior to taking a year out for study, he simultaneously held a 4-year elected seat on the Denver Public Schools Board of Education and a political appointment in the Mayoral cabinet of Wellington Webb as Manager of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Previous City of Denver positions include Deputy Director of Economic Development and International Trade and Executive Director of the Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations. Other posts include President of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Trade Specialist for the Colorado Governor's Office of International Trade. James has a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Arizona State University. Most importantly, James is married to Stephanie Garcia-Mejia and they have a 5 ½ month old daughter, Moya
Richard H. O'Connell
Richard O'Connell became the second superintendent of the Douglas County School District on July 1, 1981. He served the school district during a period of remarkable growth in which it has become recognized for the quality of its instructional programs. Dr. O'Connell was chief executive officer of the 60-campus public school system with an enrollment of 40,000 students, a staff of 5,000 and an annual budget in excess of $275 million. Dr. O'Connell was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1943. He has a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a master's degree in public school administration and supervision from Paterson State College, and a doctorate in public school administration from the University of Denver. At the University of Denver he was a research assistant in the Bureau of Educational Research. From 1971 to 1975, Dr. O'Connell was an assistant principal and principal in Jefferson County Schools (Colorado) serving at Swanson and Tanglewood Elementary Schools and at Manning Junior High School. In 1975 he returned to the Douglas County School District, where he had been principal of Larkspur Elementary School from 1969-1970, as assistant superintendent. Dr. O'Connell has served on numerous boards and commissions including the Public Education Coalition and the Denver Area School Superintendents' Council; he has also served on the Governor's Math-Science-Technology Commission, the Colorado State Treasurers Committee on Investment Banking and the Children's Museum Board of Directors among others. He is a frequent presenter at educational and other conferences and symposiums around the country and is noted for his expertise and presentations on such topics as performance pay, charter schools, year-round education, community involvement, growth, impact fees, diversity, accountability, senior tax exchange, and school finance.
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Bill Ritter, Jr. has been the District Attorney for Denver,
Colorado since June 1993. He is responsible for the prosecution of more than
5,000 felony and 15,000 misdemeanor criminal cases every year. He's known
nationally for his leadership and vision, and a number of his innovative
programs serve as national models for other jurisdictions.
As the chief prosecutor for the Second Judicial District, Bill combines aggressive
prosecution with prevention and intervention initiatives. He has made victims a
priority and is dedicated to providing victims a strong voice in the justice
system through a number of efforts and was also instrumental in
bringing Victim Services 2000 to Denver. This important program works to
coordinate different services for victims, especially those in under- served
areas and communities. Bill helped establish the Denver Drug Court. This
very successful approach to drug crimes has had a remarkable impact on the
number of repeat offenders, many of whom credit Drug Court with saving their
lives. He has created the Community Justice Unit in
which partnerships with neighborhood communities. Bill is a former Assistant
U.S. Attorney, and a former Chief Deputy District Attorney. He graduated from
the University of Colorado School of Law and Colorado State University. He is a
nationally known speaker lecturing on a variety of topics that include
community justice, drug courts, domestic violence and white-collar crime and
serves on a number of boards and is involved in the community in a variety of
ways. He is married and has four children.
Esther M. Rodriguez
Ester Rodriguez is Director of Development for the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Prior to joining ECS, she served as associate executive director of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) from 1994 to 2001, director of special projects from 1989-1994, associate project director from 1988-1989. Ms. Rodriguez's work has involved numerous public policy issues facing the states, most notably K-12/postsecondary collaboration or K-16 alignment, teacher quality, postsecondary diversity and minority student achievement, and workforce development initiatives. She has directed numerous projects on these issues funded by foundations and federal grants and, at the time of her transition to ECS, led two national projects called Building Statewide K-16 Systems for Student Success funded by the U.S. Department of Education and Enhancing the Teaching Profession: The Importance of Mobility to Recruitment and Retention supported by the Ford Foundation. She is the author of several reports and papers including State-level Education Reform: Collaborative Roles for Postsecondary Education (1994), College Admission Requirements: A New Role for States (1995), Postsecondary Education and the New Workforce (co-author, 1996), Preparing Quality Teachers: Issues and Trends in the States (1998), and Diversity in Higher Education: An Action Agenda for the States (1999). Ms. Rodriguez is a licensed attorney and former high school teacher. She completed her Juris Doctor at Hastings College of the Law, University of California, and her bachelor's degree (cum laude) and graduate work in Spanish literature and secondary instruction at Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado.
Penfield Tate
Penfield Tate is a partner with Trible, Tate, Nulan, Evans and Holden. He was a Colorado State Senator and State Representative for five years from 1997 to 2003. He has been President of Tate & Tate. He served as a member Governor Roemer's cabinet as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Administration. As Administrative Assistant to Mayor Federico Pena, he worked on a variety of projects and issues that transcended agency and departmental lines. He was a trade regulation attorney with the Federal Trade Commission and also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a recipient of the Family Voices Award and was named as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1982. He is a member of the National, Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, the National Black caucus of State Legislators, and the Sam Cary Bar Association and has served on numerous boards and commissions. He has his B.A. in sociology from Colorado State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Albert C. Yates
Albert Yates is President Emeritus of Colorado State University. In July 1990, Dr. Yates became the 12th President of Colorado State, an institution that today enrolls more than 25,000 students in its eight undergraduate colleges and Graduate School. In his dual role as chancellor of the Colorado State University System, he also provided general oversight for the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). Dr. Yates' career reflects his lifelong embrace of the land-grant institution as "the people's university," as well as his deeply held commitment to Western values and ideals. His speeches, writing and work reflect his belief in those qualities that characterize the Western spirit: honesty, integrity, self-reliance, perseverance, and commitment to community. This conviction has helped to drive his personal and professional involvement in activities that support the interests of children, diversity, academic excellence, and improving the quality of life for Colorado and its citizens. Dr. Yates began his college studies at Fisk University and graduated magna cum laude from Memphis State University in 1965, with degrees in chemistry and mathematics. He went on to earn his doctorate in theoretical chemical physics from Indiana University at Bloomington in 1968. The following year he served as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southern California, before returning to Indiana University to join the faculty of the Department of Chemistry, where he achieved the rank of associate professor of chemistry at Indiana University. In 1974 he become associate university dean for graduate education and research at the University of Cincinnati. In 1976, he completed the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard School of Business, and the following year was named vice president and university dean for graduate studies and research at the University of Cincinnati. He also served for nine years as executive vice president and provost at Washington State University in Pullman. His numerous professional activities include: Executive Committee of the Graduate Record Examination Board; Executive Committee on Academic Affairs, American Council on Education; Board of Regents, University of Portland; Founder of Cultural Diversity Task Force in Fort Collins; Community Affordable Residences Enterprise (C.A.R.E.), Board of Directors; American Council on Education, Commission on Leadership Development; Colorado Commission for Achievement in Education; Colorado Governor's Task Force on Responsible Fatherhood; Board of Directors, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City-Denver Branch; Board of Trustees, Rose Community Foundation; Colorado Bright Beginnings; Board of Governors, 9Who Care; Board of Directors, Bighorn Center; and Board of Directors, Colorado Institute of Technology.
Ex-Officio Members
David Barber
David Barber is 17 years old and has attended Denver Public Schools his entire life. He was in the Highly Gifted and Talented program from first grade to middle school at various schools. Next year he will be a senior at CEC Middle College. He has attended CEC for 3 years, taking CEC's Architectural Technology class for the last two years. When he finishes high school, he will go on to get his Associate's Degree in Architecture at the Community College of Denver. During the summer he works with his dad doing high-end remodeling. In his spare time, he enjoys building scale models, drawing, and spending time with his little brother.
Jeff Buck
Jeff Buck is a Denver Native and currently teaches science at South High School. He has been a member of the Joint Task Force on Teacher Compensation and will be joining the Transition Team that will oversee the development and implementation of the ProComp system. He has taught math and science for 7 years, including a two-year stint in Lesotho, southern Africa with the Peace Corps. He lives in North West Denver with his wife, son and two dogs.
Ann Greenfield
Ann Greenfield became the Principal of Merrill Middle School in the Denver Public Schools in August of 2003. Her prior experience included 6 years as an assistant principal at West High School, Thomas Jefferson High School and Denver School of the Arts. At Merrill High School she maintains a dedicated staff of professionals that have worked hard to raise CSAP scores from low to average over the past few years, and are currently striving for even greater success through the Rethinking Excellence School Reform Project. Ms. Greenfield received Masters Degree in International Relations from the University of Denver, and her Undergraduate Degree from Texas Tech University.
Lydia Landa
Lydia Landa lives in Aurora and chooses to attend Denver West High School where next year she will be the sophomore class president. She chooses to attend West because it is predominantly Hispanic and she can be in school with her friends and her older sister. Lydia's favorite subjects in school are science, reading and math. Her interests are mainly school-oriented, including JROTC, tennis, and student council. She also enjoys supporting her fellow students by attending athletic events. In her free time, she likes to make scrapbooks and talk with friends. Lydia's goal for the future is to attend a well-known university where she can major in law, science, or accounting.
Princess Rhines
Princess Rhines will be a senior at Leadership High School. She is involved in many extra curricular activities including High School Upward Bound and Student Council. She will be the Head Girl for the 2004-2005 school year. She enjoys history and science but is also interested in dancing and singing. Her goals are to go to a four-year university and receive many degrees, the first of which she plans to be in forensic science.
Mario Williams
Mario Williams became the Principal of George Washington High School in the Denver Public Schools in August of 1997. His prior experience included 19 years as a teacher, coach, junior high school and high school assistant principal, and junior high school principal in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In his current role at GW, Mario has maintained an exemplary faculty that remains committed to the highest standards of academic performance both for themselves and students. As a result, George Washington High School is recognized as one of Denver's top achieving high schools (5280 Magazine – May 2003) and one of America's best high schools (Newsweek Magazine – 2000, 2003). Mario received his B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and his M.A. from the University of Colorado. His emphasis in educational leadership and variety of experiences as an educator has earned him the respect of his peers. He currently serves as President of the Denver High School Principal's Association and was selected to participate on the Superintendent's Cabinet and Principal's Council.
Staff
Patricia W. McNeil
Patricia McNeil is a former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education where she launched the New American High Schools, Small Learning Communities and School-to-Work initiatives and led vocational and adult education programs. Currently, she is President of High School Solutions, an education consulting firm specializing in high school improvement, with a focus on creating small schools and learning communities and enhancing student achievement and personal development. Among her clients are the Colorado Children's Campaign (CCC), the Public Education and Business Commission (PEBC), the Mapleton School District, the Indianapolis High School Reform Project and Christina School District in Delaware. She also serves as a coach and technical assistance provider to Denver's West High School, which is creating 4 smaller learning communities under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. In a joint venture with GMS, Partners, Trish developed a "Blueprint for Baltimore's Neighborhood High Schools" and a "Plan for the Redesign of Dunbar High School. She helped Baltimore secure grants of over $3.5 million to support the creation of small learning communities in its neighborhood high schools. She prepared a concept paper for the Louisiana State Department of Education, Creating the High Schools of the Future for Louisiana that identifies the needs, current reforms and next steps for statewide educational reform at the high school level. Trish currently chairs the High School Accountability Committee in Estes Park, CO and is a member of the Boards of two national organizations, the Alliance for Excellence in Education and the American Community Partnership. She has served as Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, Executive Director of the National Commission for Employment Policy, and Legislative Director for a member of the U.S. House of Representative. Trish has authored numerous reports and articles on high school reform. She recently completed a paper for the Aspen Institute on Rethinking High School: The Next Frontier for State Policymakers, prepared a prepared a paper for the Fund for Educational Excellence in Baltimore on research and best practices in implementing components of small, safe and supportive learning environments, and co-authored a chapter on school coaching for the forthcoming book, Powerful Designs for Professional Development. Trish graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in political science. She is married to Jerry McNeil. They have five children and nine grandchildren.
Elizabeth Aybar
Elizabeth Aybar is a Social Studies teacher at Denver West High School. West is in its third phase of creating smaller learning communities. Last year she served on the Leadership Team helping decide how the school reform process would move forward this coming year. Prior to working at West, Liz taught at P.S. 1 Charter School in Denver, worked at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office of the Deputy Secretary, and was a coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. She is on temporary reassignment until January to work with the Commission. Liz has her B.A. in Psychology from Middlebury College and her M.A. in Education from Harvard University. Liz grew up in Denver and currently lives in Baker neighborhood. She loves to spend her free time playing in the mountains.