Colorado State Board of Education welcomes four new members
DENVER -- In a ceremony held just before its January meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education welcomed four new members. Colorado Supreme Court Justice Richard Gabriel performed the swearing-in for Kristi Burton Brown (CD 4), Kathy Gebhardt (CD 2), Yazmin Navarro (CD 8); and Sherri Wright (CD 3). Navarro completed her oath of office in both English and Spanish and is the first board member in recent memory to do a bilingual oath.
Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said: “Members of the Colorado State Board of Education provide a critical public service for our state’s educators, children, and families. I am grateful to our new board members for their commitment to public education in our state, and I look forward to working alongside each of them.”
Board member Kristi (“KBB") Burton Brown (R) represents the 4th Congressional District and her term of office runs through January 2031. She currently serves as the executive vice president of the Advance Colorado Institute and formerly served as the first female chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party. She is a constitutional attorney and proud homeschool graduate. She and her husband now homeschool their children with a classical Christian education. View Brown’s full bio.
Board member Kathy Gebhardt (D) represents the 2nd Congressional District and her term of office runs through January 2031. She is an attorney and adjunct professor who teaches education law at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado. She is a lifelong education advocate who served on the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Board of Education and held leadership roles with both the Colorado Association of School Boards and National Association of School Boards. Kathy is both a BVSD graduate and the mother of five former BVSD students. View Gebhardt’s full bio.
Board member Yazmin Navarro (R) represents the 8th Congressional District and her term of office runs through January 2031. She has worked with children and families for many years as an American diplomat working with students in El Salvador, as a volunteer at her daughter’s public school, and working both in the classroom and with out-of-school time programs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s in public administration. View Navarro’s full bio.
Board member Sherri Wright (R) represents the 3rd Congressional District and her term of office runs through January 2027. She is a retired career educator with more than 20 years in the classroom. She served as a board member for Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1 and as a director for the Colorado Association of School Boards representing the District 12 boards. She is a proud graduate of Cortez High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from Ft Lewis and her master’s degree from Adams State. View Wright’s full bio.
Brown replaces Debora Scheffel (R) whose last term was from January 2019 to December 2024. Gebhardt replaced Angelika Schroeder (D) who served from January 2009 to December 2024. Navarro replaces Rhonda Solis(D) who served from January 2023 to December 2024. Wright was appointed to the board in October after Stephen Varela (R) resigned. She won the November 2024 election for the seat.
Following the swearing-in of its new members, the board voted Rebecca McClellan (D), who represents Congressional District 6, to serve as chairperson and Navarro to serve as vice-chairperson.
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