1.30pm – 2.30pm MST, 28 February 2025 ‐ 1 hour
Room: Evergreen (E)
Enrollment, Community, Communications
No charter school can exist without its authorizer, and positive relationships between the two are critical for a school's success. The conversations don't always extend to marketing and communications, but they should. Join the CONNECT cohort after lunch on day two of the annual conference to explore the power of two, a panel discussion featuring charter school authorizers and communications leaders who will share best practices for working together as one. Learn how both sides can collaborate effectively and fairly to benefit all stakeholders, including the school and its authorizer, parents, students, staff, and the wider community. They'll touch on topics including:Director of Communications, Windsor Charter Academy Early College High School
Executive Director, Shared Services Partner, Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado
Marketing Lead, Colorado League of Charter Schools
Kim is a charter school mom and advocate as well as a seasoned marketing and communications professional with over 20 years’ experience helping organizations build and maintain brands. Passionate about storytelling and content development, she assists the League and other clients with a variety of marketing and communications efforts across all mediums, including writing and editing. Especially adept at project management, she enjoys seeing projects through from initiation to execution and follow-up while keeping brand management and voice a top priority.
Kim received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. Prior to branching out as a consultant, she served as the National Marketing Manager for a top 50 accounting and advisory firm. She serves on the board of for the North JeffCo Swim Team and as Chair of the Communications Committee at Jefferson Academy Charter School. When not focused on client work, she be found trying to keep up with two tween daughters, gardening or playing outside in the Colorado sunshine.
President, HIVE Digital Minds
Christy brings a wealth of operational knowledge and experience to Hive Digital Minds having spent seventeen years in the Corporate sector with the likes of Tyco Fire & Security and Johnson Controls. Her experience as a project manager in both the commercial design-build and specified-design industry found her focused on a grass-roots, often start-up mindset approach to operations and project execution, and included a multitude of ventures with several larger school districts and college campuses.Director of Communications, Windsor Charter Academy Early College High School
Sarah is an experienced communications professional who has served as Director of Communications at Windsor Charter Academy Schools since 2019. Prior to that, she served as Director of Marketing at Blue Margin and as IT and Wellness Coordinator at Wyoming Health Fairs. She earned both her BA in International Business and her MBA from New Mexico State University. She holds both a IDEO U Storytelling for Influence certification and a HubSpot Inbound Certification.
Chief Communications Officer, Douglas County School District
In my role as Communications Officer, I strive to support all DCSD public schools via our district’s key elements of 1) educational excellence, 2) stakeholder satisfaction, and 3) a positive culture and climate.
As a Douglas County resident and parent, I am incredibly committed to the success of each and every public school in the Douglas County School District. I’m excited to be part of such a talented team of communications professionals.
I have over two decades of experience in communications, public relations, and marketing; 14 years of that experience is in the field of K-12 public education. Prior to joining DCSD, I served as the Communications Director for the Colorado League of Charter Schools, a non-profit membership organization.
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Colorado at Denver as well as a certificate in graphic and web design from Platt College.
Senior Communications Manager, Charter School Institute
Hi! I’m Amanda Oberg (she/her) and I have been with CSI since 2017. As CSI’s Senior Communications Manager, it’s important to me to increase awareness about charter public schools, share the innovative ways CSI schools are serving all students, and strengthen the connection between CSI and the schools we authorize. I develop CSI publications and newsletters, grow CSI’s online presence, and also act as the Board Liaison to the CSI Board of Directors.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Media Studies and a graduate certificate in Publishing. I have been involved in the charter sector since 2015, working with the Colorado League of Charter Schools before coming to CSI.
I enjoy working at CSI because I work with talented, passionate people who care deeply about ensuring all students in Colorado have access to high-quality public education. I highly value literacy, especially for under-resourced populations, and have volunteered with the AmeriCorps SpeakOut! Initiative and Read Ahead. It is important to me that all students have the opportunity to learn in a way that fits them best.
I hope to continue sharing the incredible stories of CSI students, families, and staff far and wide!
Executive Director, Shared Services Partner, Wildflower Montessori Public Schools of Colorado
Kelly Gomes (M.Ed, Urban Education, CUNY Graduate Center) is tasked with designing and executing charter-wide operations and administrative support. Kelly is a career educator, who has most recently served as a school Principal at a charter school in Denver Public Schools. During her time as principal, Kelly’s work focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and social-emotional learning in conjunction with strategic discipline shifts, which significantly lowered suspension rates using restorative practices and shifting academic priorities and practices raising ELA and math scores across all grades on both internal and state assessments.
Kelly began her career through Teach for America in Dallas/Fort Worth teaching high school English Language Arts. Later, she was a founding teacher for Democracy Prep Endurance Middle School in Harlem as a 7th and 8th grade ELA teacher. While in New York, she became Assistant Principal supporting academics, culture, and operations. Kelly graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Marketing and ELA and earned a Master’s degree in Urban Education from CUNY Graduate Center.