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Tanesha Bell will serve as the Great Schools Colorado Project Director and will devote 100% of her time to grant-related activities. At CLCS, Tanesha oversees all grant activities, ensuring alignment with project goals and compliance with federal regulations. She serves as the primary liaison with the US Department of Education (USDOE) and manages project and budget revisions, reporting, and corrective actions. Prior to joining CLCS, Tanesha’s expertise in federal grant management was strengthened through her work with the Colorado Department of Education, where she provided critical training and technical support to grant recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work has previously involved the administration of other federal grants awarded by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tanesha earned a BA from Drury University (Springfield, MO). 

Bright Homawoo will serve as the Great Schools Colorado Grant Manager & Technician and will devote 100% of his time to grant-related activities. At CLCS, Bright will lead the implementation of the CSP subgrant program, including organizing and implementing annual competitions, selecting, and training reviewers, and providing drawdown request management. In addition, he will serve as the primary liaison to charter school grant recipients, including monitoring and tracking their performance, preparing reports, and coordinating annual site visits annually to ensure timely and appropriate project implementation. Prior to joining CLCS, Bright headed up The Cultivated Fool, an interactive art therapy platform dedicated to ending the stigma that surrounds mental health. He has also served as Manager of Community Partnerships with Clayton Early Learning and as an Educational Navigator and Family Engagement Specialist. Bright earned a BA from the University of Nebraska where he also obtained his Masters in special education while working as a Culture Walks Graduate Assistant for the College of Education.

Dawna Taylor, CLCS’s Chief of Staff and Vice President of School Services will serve as the Great Schools Colorado Executive Lead and will devote 40% of her time to grant-related activities. At CLCS, Dawna oversees the portfolio of school services offered to charter schools across Colorado, manages the organization’s human resources functions, and provides training to charter school governing boards. Prior to joining CLCS, Dawna developed expertise in developing and managing charter schools across the country including in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Dawna served as the Assistant VP of K-12 Programs for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (Washington, DC) and as the Chief of Schools for San Jose Schools (Jacksonville, FL). Dawna earned a BS from Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, FL) and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Jones International University (Centennial, CO). 

Mark Heffner, CLCS’s Vice President of Finance Operations, will serve as the Great Schools Colorado Fiscal Lead and will devote 30% of his time to grant-related activities. Mark leads and manages the League’s Finance & Operations Group, through which he conducts financial planning, analysis, and reporting and ensures effective and efficient delivery of all products and services. Prior to joining CLCS, Mark served in senior leadership roles in the aerospace and healthcare industries. Mark earned a BS from Colorado State University. 

Dave Mohr, CLCS’s Director of Accounting, will serve as the Great Schools Colorado Fiscal Manager and will devote 65% of his time to grant-related activities. Dave has served in senior business, operations, and sales roles in the educational, financial, and software industries. As a Program Manager at CLCS in 2018, Dave developed and implemented a charter school capacity-building program and conducted research for a Department of Education-supported Charter School Facilities Initiative. Dave earned a BS from Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO) and a Masters in Business Administration from Stanford University (CA).

Caymin Harper, CLCS’s Events Manager, will serve as the Great Schools Colorado Communications Coordinator and will devote 15% of her time to grant-related activities. Caymin manages the Colorado Charter Schools Annual Conference, which in 2024 had over 1,000 registrants, from conception to execution. She also creates and maintains a community event calendar that serves more than 50,000 stakeholders and manages sponsor relationships totaling over $100,000 in annual sales. Caymin earned a BA from Bellarmine University (Louisville, KY).

Kevin Hesla, CLCS’s Data Strategist, will serve as the Great School Colorado Continuous Improvement Specialist. Kevin contributes to policy, communications, and advocacy efforts that support Colorado charter schools by conducting research projects that span school performance, enrollment, demographics, and overarching trends. Kevin previously served as the Director of Data Insights at the Charter School Growth Fund and the Director of Research and Evaluation at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Kevin earned a BA from Claremont McKenna College (CA) and a Master's in Business Administration from George Washington University (DC).