Listed below are bios and information the current candidates for our open Council Board Seats. We will hear from them at Council on Thursday and vote in new members at that meeting. Any other candidates interested in putting their name forward should email a bio and why they believe they would be a good fit for Council Board to Brian at brian_ricker@dpsk12.org.
Katica Roy
I am honored to submit my name for consideration as a parent representative on the IBCS Council Board.
My family has been at Izzi B for three years and we have two children currently attending school at Izzi B.
There are three reasons why I would like to be a member of the Council.
I have prior experience on a School Board. I was a Board Member for Paddington Station Preschool from 2012-2014. As such, I can bring my expertise and experience to Izzi B as it continues to grow. During my tenure on the Paddington Board, I played a key role on the Strategic Planning Committee that drafted the three-year strategic plan for Paddington ( see a summary here: http://www.paddingtonstation.org/welcome/strategic-plan-2014-2017/).
I come from a refugee family. I am a first generation American from a refugee family (my father and my three eldest sisters escaped from Hungary after the fall of the 1956 Revolution). I have also has lived overseas and currently lead a global team. Given Izzi B’s unique role as a Newcome Center, I bring distinctive expertise to this endeavor.
I have experience teaching children. During college I worked as an instructor in a tutoring center and understand the approach of precision teaching (direct instruction, standard celeration, and fluency) pioneered by Eric and Elizabeth Haughton and Carl Binder.
Here is some more information about me:
An award-winning human capital management (HCM) leader with almost two decades of broad-based HCM experience, I have a combination of expertise in and passion for human capital analytics, sales operations, and talent management. I am also an HCM leader who leverages talent excellence to drive sales with customers via effective pre-sales participation. A contributor to publications of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), I have also presented at conferences and events for ATD, Training Magazine, and hrQ. Currently the Global Vice President and Head of Learning for the Office of the CEO at SAP, I am accountable to shape a powerful learning culture and resulting measurable business outcomes that drive the transformation of SAP to become THE cloud company powered by SAP HANA. Under my vision and direction are the spearheading of talent development for the Office of the CEO, comprehensive learning analytics, and business impact measurement, and the strategy, engagement, and execution of agreements with European Union Works Councils, which represent EU-based employees on all matters, including talent development. Prior to my current role, I was the Vice President of Learner Experience and Impact at SAP, where she fashioned the learning “brand,” the cross-device digital experience of that brand, as well as global learning standards and governance.
Tania Reis
I am mommy to a 3rd grader (and hopefully a soon-to be ECEer) at Isabella Bird. We have been part of the Izzi B family for 2 years (and a few weeks!) and hope to continue to be part of this amazing community for many years to come. Since joining Izzi B, we’ve felt as if we are part of a big, lovely family!
Since becoming a parent at our school, I have attended every council meeting (except one due to sickness of my little one), all of the Coffee and Conversations with leadership (except for two due to work travel) and all of the Compassionate Communication gatherings (except two due to work travel). I’ve also volunteered every week for one hour in Luca’s different classrooms. I was on the hiring committees that brought in one of our current school leaders (Brian) and our current Spanish teacher (Ann or Señora Ana). I have also been part of the Community Engagement Committee since last year. As a parent I have also formed amazing teams with different teachers and leaders (Emma, Traci, Jess, Mandi, Rebecca and Brian) working together to meet the unique needs of my son. As a family we participate in all our oh-so-much-fun events that our Fundraising and Community engagement committees put together.
I can confidently say that I know our school!
As a family, we feel very lucky to be part of this community. We chose this school for what sounded to be “too good to be true”: a natural extension of our parenting approach, touching the heart to reach the mind, educating empathic and compassionate global citizens, and all this without compromising exciting curricula promoting collaboration and self-learning. As we have experienced, altogether these are VERY challenging goals to achieve through the first 3 years of starting a school! But even with all the challenges, our core remains unchanged, with recognition of the improvements we can make to be closer to our mission: support each and every kid through their own individual needs to progress through their learning towards their dreams.
I want to be a council member because I can contribute with a parent perspective to the growth of our school while always keeping its guiding principles at heart. I am committed to being part of hiring committees for the recruitment of excellent educators and staff that share our same principles. Being already part of the Community Engagement committee, I will be positioned to create better communication between the committee and school. And most importantly, being a parent of a student who benefited from the commitment of our school to provide for its students’ individual needs, I will always keep in mind the diversity of learners and cultures that make up our school.
Ultimately, I love our school and I want to be part of council to contribute in a more active way towards continuing to make Izzi B the amazing school it already is.
Tânia Reis, mom of Luca McMurray (3rd Grade Mandi’s class)
Jennifer E. Arzberger
Jea offers sixteen years of leadership experience. She possesses both a breadth and depth of experience incubating innovation to address clients’ needs. Jea recently completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Educational Administration and Policy at the University of Denver. Additionally, she has completed the Get Smart Schools Fellowship to catapult leaders to achieve excellence. Jea is currently developing the Centers of Excellence at CGI providing strategic leadership across the United States Emerging Markets. Additionally, she is an Independent Consultant for Rodan + Fields. Formerly, she served as the Educator Preparation Project Manager for the Colorado Department of Higher Education and Colorado Department of Education supporting innovation in educator preparation aligned with legislative changes impacting Colorado’s E-12 educational system.
After leading the development of Downtown Denver Expeditionary School, Jea developed Building Brilliance, a consulting company, which supports leaders in communities, government, industry, and education in achieving the extraordinary. Through her work, she inspires individuals to disrupt their current ways of thinking and become architects of lives that transcend the ordinary. Jea is also an instructor at CU Denver teaching the following courses: Doctoral Seminar in Research Methods; Psychology of Gifted, Talented, and Creative Children; Research in Schools; Human Learning; Children’s Thinking; Social Psychology of Learning; and Advanced Psychological Foundations. Additionally, Jea serves on the following Boards: Stapleton United Neighbors and GlobalMindED. Jea earned her M.A. in Mathematics from the University of Northern Colorado, M.A. in Teaching and Teacher Education from the University of Arizona, and B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona.
As the parent of a 1st grader, I continue to fall more and more in love with our Izzi B community. Dedicated, professional educators. Loving families. Brilliant children. As a member of Council I want to ensure we make decisions based on what’s best for our children. I also want to support fundraising efforts and community engagement to ensure our financial viability so that we can continue offering a top notch education to our young citizens.
Stephanie Gray
Honored to be considered a candidate for the IBCS Council Board.
I am a native of Colorado; Boulder born, Texas raised. I grew up outside of Houston, Texas with both my parents and a younger sister. My Dad works in oil, my Mom is a homemaker. I graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in molecular biology, worked a bit and decided to make Denver my permanent home in December 1999. I began working at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center which at the time was located off Colorado Blvd. Almost 17 years later, I still work for CU, at the Anschutz Medical Campus and under the same doctor. My duties have changed over the years, with my current role helping to coordinate cord blood and stem cell transplants.
In March of 2003 I moved to my first home in Stapleton. I was single. No dates. No kids. No pets. A real novelty here in Stapleton. I married in 2007 and we purchased our current Central Park North home in 2008. I joined the SUN neighborhood block captains group and organized a Neighborhood watch with my surrounding blocks. I believe strongly in knowing my neighbors and pride myself on the sense of community in my immediate neighborhood.
I became a Mom in May 2010 with a second child in March 2012. We are a busy home.
This is my third school year as an Isabella Bird parent. My daughter is in first grade having started here in ECE in August of 2014. It was the same year the school opened in this amazing building. This year we were lucky enough to get another full day ECE spot for my son. My family is committed to our school and the philosophy that first attracted us to Isabella Bird. It is time that I take a more proactive role in my children’s school. I joined the fundraising committee at the end of last school year as a way to become more involved. I also look forward to getting into the classrooms to help out our awesome teachers. Over the past few years I have participated in Coffee and Conversations and attended many of the Compassionate Communication presentations. I am honored to have learned so much, I have much more to learn and am a constant work in progress.
I want to be a part of the Council Board to help further the mission of our school and be more closely involved with decisions impacting our students, their families and our school. We have remarkable staff, leadership, parents and students. I am committed to making this our best school year yet. I would be honored if you would consider electing me to the Council Board. Like you, I am first and foremost a parent wanting the best experience for all our children.