Our CSAP Panel
Michael Bennet In June 2005 the Denver Board of Education unanimously appointedMichael F. Bennet Superintendent of Denver Public Schools effectiveJuly 11, 2005. Prior to his superintendency Bennet served for two yearsas the Chief of Staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. He has spenthalf his career in the public sector and half in the private sector.Bennet worked for six years prior to his tenure at the City of Denveras Managing Director for the Anschutz Investment Company in Denver,where he had direct responsibility for the investment of over $500million. He began his career in government, working as personalassistant to Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste (now president ofColorado College) and later as a law clerk for Judge Francis D.Murnaghan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Following abrief stint at the Washington law firm of Wilmer, Cutler &Pickering, Bennet returned to the public sector as Counsel to theDeputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration. Bennet earnedhis bachelor's degree in history with honors from Wesleyan Universityand his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was theEditor-in-Chief of The Yale Law Journal. |
Mike Campbell MikeCampbell is in his third year as Principal at Ft. Lupton H.S.Previously he was Principal at Brighton High School and has heldadministrative positions in Brighton and Jefferson County PublicSchools. He has extensive experience in professional development andreform and restructure. He has extensive background in working withat-risk youth and developing interventions to elevate student learning. |
J. Wm. Covington John Wm. Covington has been superintendent of Pueblo CitySchools, a 2007 State of Colorado High Performing school district,since July, 2006. As superintendent, Dr. Covington oversees 37 schools,17,500 students, approximately 2,500 employees and an annual budget ofapproximately $192 million. He is guiding the implementation of acommunity led strategic plan that will lead to the school district tobe measured by international standards. Dr. Covington was named adistinguished alumni by Alabama State University, was selected as aJapan Fulbright Scholar in 2005 and received the National Associationfor Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Award in 2007. Dr. Covingtonwas appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to the P3 Sub-committeeof the P-20 Education Coordinating Council and the Online AdvisoryBoard in 2007. Dr. Covington was selected to The Broad Foundation 2008Class of Fellows, one of only 12 leaders nationwide. He serves on theNational Board of Directors for Rural Schools and Communities Trust andthe National Board of Directors for Magnet Schools of America where hecoordinates Region VIII which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah, NorthDakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Dr. Covington earned the B.S., M.S,AA Certification and Ed.S. degrees from Alabama State University. Healso holds a M.Ed. Certification from Troy University and an AACertification and Ed.D. degree from Auburn University. Before coming toPueblo City Schools, Dr. Covington worked in various Alabama schooldistricts, having served as teacher, counselor, assistant principal,principal, assistant superintendent, executive assistant to thesuperintendent and superintendent. He has worked in both urban andrural settings where he dealt with many of the problems germane tourban and rural schools. |
Angela Engel AngelaEngel is currently the project director for the “Children’s ActionAgenda,” a collaborative initiative to address the comprehensive needsof Colorado’s children. Engel has been an advocate for children andfamilies for the past fifteen years. She earned her Bachelor’s Degreein Communications and Business Administration from the University ofDenver, and was awarded her Master’s degree in Curriculum andInstruction from the University of Colorado at Denver. In 1991 shefounded University Kids Club, a mentoring and tutoring program forat-risk youth in Denver Public Schools. As an educator, Angela taughtelementary school in Douglas County and served as high schoolinstructor and later the Academic Director for the “Denver StreetSchool” – a privately funded, alternative Christian high schoolproviding a “last chance” education to inner city students.Additionally, she created and implemented staff development trainingsfor 45 National Street Schools. In 2007 Engel ran for the ColoradoHouse of Representatives. Over the past four years, Engel has workeddirectly with legislators to develop policies that improve learning andopportunities for Colorado’s children. She lectures regularly atUniversities and conferences; her book titled, The Children’s Movement;Solutions for Educating America’s future is forthcoming. |
Elaine Grace ElaineGrace has been teaching kids in public schools for the past 23 years.She’s been a Language Arts teacher in Boulder Valley School Districtfor the past eleven years, and at Monarch High School in Louisville,Colorado since it opened in 1998. She is currently the newspaper andyearbook adviser there. She is passionate about practicing soul ineducation, and teaching journalism and literacy. A graduate of CUDenver, Elaine has a M.A. in Education and is a returned Peace Corpsvolunteer. |
| Dwight D. Jones Commissioner, Colorado Department of Education Dwight Jones was appointed Colorado Commissioner of Education on June1, 2007, by a unanimous vote of the Colorado State Board of Education.Before becoming commissioner, he was the superintendent of schools forthe Fountain-Fort Carson School District for four years. He takes pridein being an educator for more than 20 years. Jones serves on theEducation Commission of the States and the Closing the Achievement GapCommission as well as many other organizations. He is an adjunctprofessor, speaker and writer. His previous educational experienceincludes serving as an assistant superintendent of curriculum andinstruction for Fountain-Fort Carson and Wichita, Kansas PublicSchools. He was the principal of a large urban high school in Wichitaafter moving through the ranks of elementary and middle schools asteacher and principal in the Wichita Public Schools system. Jones wasalso an operational vice president of Edison Schools, Inc. |
Lorrie Shepard Dr.Lorrie Shepard is Dean of the School of Education at the University ofColorado at Boulder. Her research focuses on the technical aspects oftest development and the use of tests in educational settings.Technical topics include validity theory, standard setting, andstatistical methods for detecting test bias. Her studies evaluatingtest use include identification of learning disabilities, readinessscreening for kindergarten, grade retention, teacher testing, effectsof high-stakes accountability testing, and classroom assessment. Dr.Shepard is past president of the American Educational ResearchAssociation and currently serves as president of the National Academyof Education. |
Kristin Waters KristinWaters has worked in education for twenty years. She began teachinglanguage arts and French at the middle school level in South CentralLos Angeles and then moved to Glendale, California where she worked atboth the middle and high school levels coordinating Title 1 and Giftedand Talented education programs. After moving to Colorado, she taughtfor a semester at Montbello High School and then served as assistantprincipal at South High School for three years. From 2001 – 2005 Sheserved as principal at Morey Middle School and raised the state rankingof the school from Low to High. In the spring of 2005, Dr. Waters wasappointed principal of Bruce Randolph School, the poorest performingmiddle school in the State of Colorado, and was charged with turningaround student academic achievement. She continues in this position andis improving student achievement. Dr. Waters received her BA from theUniversity of California, at Santa Barbara, her MS from PepperdineUniversity, and her Ph.D. at the University of Denver. |
Suzanne Williams SenatorSuzanne Williams is beginning her fourth year in the State Senate afterserving eight years in the Colorado House of Representatives. SenatorWilliams is the only registered American Indian state legislator inColorado. In 2007 Williams was elected Assistant Caucus Chair for theSenate Majority Caucus. Currently, she serves as the Vice Chair of theTransportation Committee, the Legislative Chair for the Early ChildhoodCommission, and is a member of the Education Committee. SenatorWilliams has lived in her district for over 30 years. She earned herB.S. from Baylor University and her Masters in Special Education fromthe University of Colorado. Senator Williams worked for 22 years as aspecial education teacher in the Cherry Creek School District. |
