OUR TEAM
We are a group of highly experienced education and business professionals.
We drive the organization forward based on our shared commitment to see every student thrive in school, work and life.
Gina Angelini — Workforce Management Coordinator
Gina joined Generation Schools Network in August 2021 and brings with her a wealth of experience to the team to support the Pathways to Prosperity (College and Career Readiness program) along the I-76 Corridor. Her strengths include project management, program development and implementation, global and local outreach, training, working with diverse cultural populations, and maintaining strong working relationships. Gina was previously a program manager with the CSU Energy Institute and holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.
Gina Angelini
Workforce Management Coordinator, I-76 Collaborative
Olivia Bachicha — Vice President of Field Services
Olivia has been in education for 28 years, and has served in the capacity of teacher, coach, principal, coordinator, and mentor. She serves as a VP of Field Services at Generation Schools Network and recently was named a finalist in the 2018 National Distinguished Principal of Colorado Award. She was the 2018 Colorado Association of Elementary School Principals region director and president-elect. She also received the Colorado High School Athletic Association Award for her role as Principal of Trinidad High School. Olivia is a graduate of Trinidad State Junior College and Adams State University where she earned a B.A. in Elementary Education, an M.A. in Elementary Education, and an M.A. in Educational Leadership. She recently completed the Superintendent Certification from Adams State University. The past several years, Olivia has served as Principal of Eckhart Elementary School in Trinidad, which housed kindergarten and first grade students. Due to her efforts, Eckhart Elementary School was recently certified and named as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey Education, one of only six worldwide. In addition, she received the Colorado Reading First Award for outstanding student achievement. Her students at Eckhart met required state benchmarks for DIBELS every year during her tenure. She also served as the coordinator of the Colorado Preschool Program, District Assessment Coordinator, Athletic Director and served as a UIP reviewer for the Colorado Department of Education. She currently provides services to Colorado school districts including Turnaround Leadership, Principal Induction, Social and Emotional Learning, 21st Century Learning, Data driven instruction, and Bullying Prevention. Olivia recently completed training to become certified in SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol).
Olivia Bachicha
Vice President of Field Services
Kirk Banghart — Vice President & Chief Facilitator - Colorado Rural Education Collaborative (CREC)
Kirk serves as the Vice President and Chief Facilitator of the Colorado Rural Education Collaborative (CREC) and brings a wealth of experience to GSN through his extensive background in rural education. Over 20 years in rural education, Kirk served as a certified superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, teacher and coach. He is a trained auditor in the Phi Delta Kappa Curriculum program, which ensures curricular alignment at all levels of schools, and has led two “National Title I School of Distinction” recipient schools. In addition, Kirk has ensured the high success rate of schools around him by planning and facilitating a 14-district inclusive Professional Learning Community focused on modernizing curriculum and assessment. As Chief Facilitator of the Colorado Rural Education Collaborative (CREC), Kirk serves as voice and architect of the state-wide multi-district effort that is innovating to solve rural Colorado’s most pressing rural education challenges with the goal of bringing prosperity and opportunity to rural students, teachers and leaders.
Kirk Banghart
Vice President & Chief Facilitator, CREC
Amanda Burns-Hawley — Pathways Coordinator, I-76 Collaborative
Amanda serves as a Pathways Coordinator for College & Career Readiness, with a focus on Special Populations. She was a classroom teacher for 10 years and has worked alongside administration in a leadership role to aid in strengthening curriculum, instruction, and Unified Improvement Plans. In addition, Amanda has led Impact Teams, serving as the coordinator through East Central BOCES for many years. She’s also acted as a mentor/coach to teachers, both new and experienced, and has a host of knowledge when it comes to Special Education, English Language Learners, and Social Emotional Learning. Overall, Amanda has a passion for elevating the educational experience and prides herself on utilizing innovative approaches to ensure optimal outcomes for schools, students, and families as a whole.
Amanda Burns-Hawley
Pathways Coordinator, I-76 Collaborative
Erin Coker — Senior Director
Erin comes to Generation Schools with a passion for coaching and mentoring. She has extensive experience with continuous improvement and school planning, interdisciplinary learning and literacy, and adult learning theory. Prior to joining GSN, Erin worked in Denver Public Schools for 15 years in a variety of leadership roles where she had the opportunity to directly support school instructional leadership teams. In addition to her work in DPS, Erin has worked as an education consultant where, on a national level, she has written curriculum and accompanying resources, facilitated scoring calibration events, and co-developed observational and planning tools for leaders and teachers. Erin is a values-driven and reflective leader of others, and regards equity as a consistent and critical throughline in her work with schools. Erin holds a BS in Biology and a MA in Instructional Technology from Regis University.
Erin Coker
Senior Director
Wendy Loloff Cooper — CEO
was asked by the Board of Directors to assume the CEO role in 2012. While earning a business degree, her love for education was catalyzed through volunteering to teach a business entrepreneurship class in an impoverished Denver neighborhood on Saturday mornings at a local church. She brings extensive experience in the non-profit and education sectors, especially in the areas of network development, school replication and innovative educational models. She has worked in higher education (Northwest College, Colorado Christian University & Harvard University) and co-founded the Street School Network, which grew to include more than 50 schools in 27 cities under her leadership. She holds a BS in Business Management from Colorado Christian University and an MA in Educational Leadership from Concordia University. She was a Catapult Fellow and is currently a fellow with the Billions Institute. Wendy is currently working on her PhD in Education & Social Justice at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.
Wendy Loloff Cooper
CEO
Rebecca Flores — Health Pathway Coordinator, I-76 Collaborative
Rebecca is the Health Pathway Coordinator for GSN. She has over 20 years of human services and customer service experience earned at such diverse organizations as i3Screen and Royal Dairy Crest. She has a penchant for clear, empathetic communication with customers. Rebecca is bilingual and has mentored, coached, and taught urban youth through Colorado Uplift in high school and middle school settings using trauma-informed methods. Rebecca is committed to building a stronger community by encouraging, challenging, and equipping individuals to reach their potential.
Rebecca Flores
Health Pathway Coordinator, I-76 Collaborative
Jason Franks — Senior Director
Jason has been in education since 2002, starting as a middle/high school math teacher. Eventually, he left the classroom to become a math resource teacher for 17 Native Hawaiian focused charter schools, reviewing curriculum, coaching and mentoring teachers and administrators while establishing a Professional Learning Community for indigenous math education. His role expanded to provide professional development in math, culture-based education, culturally relevant teaching strategies along with leadership and school improvement training to teachers and administrators across the state of Hawaii. Jason earned a BA in Mathematics from Pacific University, an MEd and MBA from Chaminade University, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California. His dissertation was centered on math anxiety and its effects on math teaching self-efficacy in elementary school teachers. He is also trained in Ethnomathematics from the University of Hawaii. Jason moved to Denver in June of 2023 and will be working to provide his expertise to several projects and schools within the GSN network.
Jason Franks
Senior Director
Audrey Gutierrez — College and Career Readiness Network Manager
Audrey serves as the College & Career Readiness Network Manager at GSN. She has a passion for education and prior to joining GSN, she worked for seven years in schools and nonprofits in the Denver Metro area. She taught as a 4th/5th-grade literacy teacher in Denver Public Schools as well as an elementary and middle school literacy interventionist in Aurora Public Schools. At GSN, her work in CCR will be focused on the Front Range Equity Network (FREN) and the Delta Dental Career Pathway throughout many regions of CO. Audrey holds a B.A. in Anthropology from University of Oregon and an M.A. in Literacy from University of Northern Colorado. She also has an interest in project management and has expanded upon those skills by completing a Google Project Management Certificate.
Audrey Gutierrez
College and Career Readiness Network Manager
Zac Hess — Senior Education Specialist
Zac graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1995 and served in the U.S. Army as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and company commander. He later realized the impact he wanted to make would be best realized through educating our youth. In 2006, he pursued a career in public education and started teaching high school science to incarcerated young men. Zac spent 16 years in a school district as a teacher, dean, assistant principal, and district administrator. He was always an advocate for students and worked to understand the root cause of their gaps in learning, behavior, and mental health. Zac has led school and district teams in implementing Restorative Practices, MTSS, Trauma Responsive Practices, and Social Emotional Learning. He approaches this work with a prevention-based mindset and uses Implementation Science to strategically implement programming. In 2017, he became involved with the Douglas County Healthy Youth Coalition. He attended numerous conferences and trainings to become educated in coalition building. Zac’s mission is to work with youth serving organizations and other organizations dedicated to educating our youth. His work with Generation Schools Network focuses on Restorative Practices and its strategic implementation within a school system and community.
Zac Hess
Senior Director
Anna Hogberg — Director
Anna has spent her career in education as both a teacher and administrator. She is driven by a passion for educational quality and success for all educators and learners. She has worked alongside district leadership to strengthen school and district Unified Improvement Plans to ensure that educators at all levels have the resources, supports, and unifying vision needed improve educational outcomes for all students. Anna has acted as a mentor and coach to new and experienced teachers and has experience cultivating positive and productive conversations and relationships with educators, school leaders, district level K-12 administrators, EC BOCES, and community members. She brings her experience in administration and Turnaround Leadership to Generation Schools Network to improve the leadership structure and capacity in schools across the state of Colorado.
Anna Hogberg
Senior Director
Ashley Jaquez — Workforce Coordinator, Spanish Peaks Pathway
Ashley serves as the Workforce Coordinator and Coach for the Spanish Peaks Region for GSN as an integral part of our College and Career Readiness Work. Prior to GSN, Ashley worked with Pueblo School District 60 since 2016, holding multiple roles as a Paraeducator and Special Education Teacher. Ashley holds an AA degree and a certificate in Leadership Studies from Pueblo Community College, as well as a BS in Applied Social Science with a Specialization in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University Global and an M.Ed in Special Education from Grand Canyon University.
Ashley Jaquez
Workforce Coordinator, Spanish Peaks Pathway
Faith Lane - Office and Administrative Manager
Faith is the Office and Administrative Manager at GSN. Her goal in this position is to support her colleagues so they are equipped to do their best work in the field. She has previously worked as office support for an economic development non-profit, and later for the city government in her rural Iowa hometown. She also worked for the local community college teaching English and tech skills classes for adult English Language Learners, as well as a High School Equivalency class. Through her time growing up and working in rural Iowa, she knows the value that rural schools bring to their communities. She has a BA in Spanish from the University of Iowa and she is currently pursuing an MDiv from Denver Seminary.
Faith Lane
Office and Administrative Manager
Alison Lauge — Vice President of Development & Partnerships
Passionate about education and motivated to help children, Alison’s experiences span across industries including global corporations, foundations, statewide educational start-ups, nonprofits and government. As vice president of The Goodyear Foundation, she spearheaded the effort to re-establish the foundation after years of inactivity. As director of the OSLN – Akron Hub, she led the organization's evolution from a 501c3 to a self-sustaining entity spreading effective STEM education best practices. Alison brings her skills and expertise in her role as Vice President of Development and Partnerships to the GSN team. She holds a BS in Journalism and Political Science from Kent State University, and an MS in Higher Education Administration from The University of Akron.
Alison Lauge
Vice President of Development & Partnerships
Nate Levin-Aspenson — Director of Development
Nate comes to Generation Schools (as well as the field of education) most recently from working in Mental Health and serves as the Director of Development. He specializes in grant proposals and institutional giving, and has also worked extensively in donor communications, database management, fundraising events, and individual giving campaigns. Nate still remembers every teacher that has changed his life, from Mr. Dell in Kindergarten to Maria Rosales in undergraduate, and will never forget the value of a supportive education. He is excited to work to support our school districts.
Nate Levin-Aspenson
Director of Development
Eric Lucas — Vice President, Finance & Operations
Before joining Generation School Network, Mr. Lucas was a Director of Capital Operations and Data compliance for an automotive dealership group headquartered in the Denver Metro area for the past seven years. Mr. Lucas also worked as Chief Financial Officer for a Denver Metro roofing company. Before moving back to Colorado in 2013, Mr. Lucas spent five years at Towson University as the Divisional Communications Specialist and Project Specialist for the Division of Administration and Finance. Mr. Lucas graduated from Towson University with a BS in English Literature in 2013 and received his MBA from Regis University in 2015. Mr. Lucas has a strong passion for helping marginalized and underserved communities and has spent the past two decades advocating for the eradication of domestic violence and human trafficking.
Eric Lucas
Vice President, Finance & Operations
Larry Martinez — Senior Education Specialist
Larry has been an educator for over 30 years, serving K-12th grade students with a passion for improving academic achievement. During that time, he has had many roles within the educational environment working as a teacher, secondary school administrator, educational consultant and Director. His work has been primarily in high minority and low socio–economic schools in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii and Massachusetts. Recently, Larry retired as the Director of Curriculum in Queen Creek, AZ. Prior to that he served as a Deputy Director for Turnaround in the Denver Public Schools and Network Director for Blueprint Schools Network in Boston. He also worked with WestEd, as a School/District Improvement Facilitator, supporting underperforming/high performing schools/districts throughout the United States.
Larry Martinez, Ed.S.
Senior Education Specialist
Katie Peyton — Director
Katie currently serves as a Director for GSN and supports innovative projects across all our areas of work. In these roles, she manages complex projects and ensures outcomes are met that improve school districts and advance student achievement through deeper learning. She has helped create curricular units for use in GSN’s Advocacy Program and conducts assessments of school's use of time and space and advises on instructional best practices. Previously, she worked as a high school English teacher and administrator for a community school in Cincinnati, Ohio for six years. Katie brings extensive experience in teacher coaching and development, holistic school improvement, and building relevant and innovative programs for students to her role at GSN. Katie has also worked as an expeditionary learning trip leader for Bold Earth in Golden, Colorado, during which time she gained skills in alternative teaching and learning styles that benefit the students in intensive learning opportunities.
Katie Peyton
Director
CJ Roberts — Director
Cassidy Jo “CJ” Roberts brings to Generation Schools Network an uncompromised work ethic and commitment to excellence. CJ is a former collegiate student-athlete with experience in child and adult program development. She focuses in areas of physical activity and nutrition, organization management and marketing, elite-level age group coaching, and proven leadership qualities emphasized in open communication and collaboration. Currently, CJ manages GSN’s Creating Healthy Schools Initiative and the “Out of School Time” Physical Activity after-school program.
CJ Roberts
Director
croberts@generationschools.org
Bitsy Salisbury — Communications & Website Manager
After a decade of teaching in US classrooms and abroad, Bitsy joined the GSN team in February 2023. In addition to her classroom teaching experience, she brings critical skills in Spanish fluency, user experience, and direct-response marketing to the GSN Communications team. Bitsy graduated from St. Cloud State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education and from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a Masters in English Language Education. She is excited about making GSN’s message and mission engaging and accessible to best serve the schools and youth of Colorado and beyond.
Bitsy Salisbury
Communications & Website Director
Dr. Joseph Silva — Vice President
Dr. Joseph “Jose” Silva has been an advocate for youth, education, and the community for over 29 years. Dr. Jose Silva graduated from the University of Colorado Denver in 2019. In 2022, Dr. Jose Silva joined the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers as their inaugural Chief Engagement Officer. In this role, Dr. Silva led the Engagement Division and a $6 Million dollar budget. The departments consisted of Membership/Chapter, Convention/Events and Philanthropy and Major Giving. In 2019, Dr. Silva became the first Chief Executive Officer for the Colorado Association for Infant Mental Health. Prior to CoAIMH, Dr. Silva is the Founder/Principal of Metrix Consulting- Political and Education Group. In this role, Jose has helped to develop College Readiness, Leadership Development and School & Home Safety curriculums, Entry to Exit School Safety Curriculum and is a National Leader in Restorative Practices. Jose testified before the United States Congress on College Access in 2003 and secured College Summit a 5-million-dollar budget earmark & raised $20 million dollars in total. Dr. Silva has raised over $40 million dollars for nonprofits in the United States.
Dr. Joseph Silva
Vice President of Equity Initiatives
Craig Spencer — Chief Operating & Financial Officer
Mr. Spencer became involved in urban education as a member of the Board of Directors of the StreetSchool Network, a network of over 40 schools serving at-risk children across the US. Prior to joining Generation Schools, he served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives with Global Link Technology, Inc. Mr. Spencer also worked with a company acquired by American Express Business Finance in a number of capacities including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer. He worked with Arthur Andersen for 12 years in the Audit and Business Advisory Services group. Mr. Spencer graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance and Accounting and has a passion for maximizing the impact of technology and school redesign in closing opportunity, academic and workforce readiness gaps for all students.
Craig Spencer
CFO & COO
Claudia Trujillo — Senior Education Specialist
Claudia Trujillo has 17 years of experience teaching middle and high school language arts as well as primary elementary. She has been a middle school reading coach working with teachers to implement best practices in literacy and a K-12 instructional coach facilitating the use of data with grade level and content area teacher teams. Claudia joined Generation Schools Network’s team as a Senior Education Specialist and also works with CU Denver and Trinidad State Jr. College in the Rural Teacher Preparation program.
Claudia Trujillo
Senior Education Specialist
Donna Trujillo — Vice President of Tiered Services & Special Populations
Donna M. Trujillo has over 16 years of experience as both a teacher and administrator in Special and Gifted Education, which includes working in and with multiple districts across the state of Colorado. She has been the Director of Personalized Learning for Special Education with Douglas County School District, the third largest school district in Colorado, to provide special education services for over 7,000 students and oversee 1,700 plus special education staff. In addition, she serves as a representative with the State Legislative Consortium that guides legislation with regard to students with disabilities at the local, state, and federal levels. Her background includes work with both rural and urban school districts, as well as charter, private, and public schools. Additional education and training include Linguistically and Culturally Diverse (ELL), Literacy, School Leadership, and Elementary Education. She has worked with all ages and programs from birth to 21 and has extensive knowledge about Special Education processes, policies, and best practices.
Donna Trujillo
Vice President of Tiered Services & Special Populations
Selina Vallejos — Senior Director
Selina has been in education for 24 years, and has served in the capacity of teacher, librarian, coach, mentor, District Assessment Coordinator, Federal Programs Specialist and Learning Services Coordinator. Selina is a graduate of Trinidad State Junior College with an A.A. in Accounting, a certificate in Secretarial Science and is currently working on her Cosmetology License. Selina is also a graduate of Adams State College where she earned a B.A. in Elementary Education and her M.A. in Education.
Selina Vallejos
Senior Director
Elliot Zettas — Director of College & Career Readiness
Elliot serves as the Director of College & Career Readiness whose experience, knowledge, and zeal are entrenched in educational nonprofits. Prior to GSN, he was the co-founder and Executive Director of Alternative Roadmap, a nonprofit that provided age-relatable coaching programs to at-risk high school students. Additionally, as an Education Pioneer Fellow, he designed a work experience program for opportunity youth in Memphis, TN. At GSN, Elliot serves as the Director for College/Career Readiness working to bring equitable exposure and preparation opportunities to students from rural and marginalized urban communities. Elliot holds a BS in Entrepreneurial Innovation from Metro State University of Denver and a Master of Public Administration (Nonprofit Management concentration) from Arkansas State University. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD in Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver.
Elliot Zettas
Senior Director of College & Career Readiness
Advisory Board
Tony Arias
Corporate Counsel, BillGO, Inc.
Jodi Cooper
Solutions Architect, Jack Henry & Associates Colorado
Jonathan Piper II
National Youth Board Representative
Rosanne Fulton, PhD
Director, Center for Urban Education, University of Northern Colorado
Kayon Morgan, PhD
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in Higher Education, University of Hartford
Cass Walker Harvey
Executive Director, First Southwest Community Fund
Board of Directors
Mirella Chavez
Senior Program Officer, Colorado Access Foundation
Bob Der
Consultant
Cameron DeTello
Rocky Mountain Engagement Manager, Young Invincibles
Dr. Angelina Duran
Educational Leader, Advocate, Restorative Justice Consultant, Bilingual School Psychologist, UX Designer
Charlie Fine
Deputy General Counsel, Denver Public Schools
Rebecca Green
Vice President, IMA Financial
Claire Hellweg
Associate Attorney, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Patrick Kinne
Vice President, 27Global
Rich Resendez
Senior Consultant III/Associate Program Director (Co-Director Region 12 Comprehensive Center)
McREL International
Duan Ruff
Director of the Black/African American Cultural Center, Colorado State University
Holly Shattuck
Boost Consultant, Epic Systems Corporation
Dan Streeter
VP of Learning and Development, BlueSkyelearn
Contractors
Erinn Campton
Support Services
Tina Goar
CREC
Michaela Hauenstein
Senior Project Manager
Helen LaFata
Translator
Brad Mitchell, PhD
Strategic Advisor
Erica Loloff
Office Associate
Lee Morgan, PhD
Education, Data & Research
Diego Pons
Spanish Language Copy Editor
Linda Ruiz
Senior Education Specialist
Talma Shultz
Senior Education Specialist
Alex Wilczewski
Empowering Education Technical Support
Generation Schools Network is looking for skilled, thoughtful, driven and committed individuals.
Please subscribe to our newsletter or visit our careers page for updates on upcoming job openings.
If you are interested in serving on our board of directors or advisory board, please contact Wendy Loloff Cooper at wcooper@generationschools.org.