Board of Directors

Amanda Brown joined the Odyssey School Board in July 2020 as a Community Representative. Amanda is Vice President and an owner at Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA), a Denver-based consulting firm. Over the past 18 years she has worked nationally to develop equitable and adequate school finance systems and address education policy issues, including working in Colorado and with metro area districts. She previously served as a board member at PS1 Charter School in DPS between 2009 and 2011. She holds a Master's in Public Administration and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership for Educational Equity at the University of Colorado, Denver. Amanda and her husband live in Park Hill with their daughter who attends Odyssey. They love living in the city and taking advantage of all Denver has to offer.

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Travis Haley joined the board as an independent community representative in early 2018 after becoming interested in Odyssey’s mission through a friend, a parent of an Odyssey student. Travis works for the Colorado Department of Revenue managing investments and transactions for the marijuana industry. Travis’ prior experience includes Main Street Capital as a Managing Director and Ernst & Young. He has served in various board capacities for non-profits, including educational institutions with non-traditional curricula, and he is highly supportive of EL. Travis has a Masters in Accounting and a Bachelors in Business from Trinity University. Travis resides nearby to Odyssey with his two children and two dogs, Cooper and Kimmy Gibbler.

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As a Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, I manage a research program focused on infectious disease biology and the immune response to infectious agents. My training includes a B.A. in Microbiology, a Ph.D. in Immunology, and postdoctoral studies on microbial pathogenic mechanisms. I have also been heavily involved in teaching and training of graduate and medical students and currently direct the University of Colorado Immunology graduate training program. My wife, our three children, and I enjoy camping, hiking, biking, and various other outdoors activities. We joined the Odyssey community in 2014 and I was elected a parent representative to the board in 2019. I transitioned to a community director in 2022.

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Keri Melmed is High Point Academy’s Executive Director. She has been working in education for over 25 years, both as a classroom teacher and in school leadership; in various schools in California, New York, and Colorado. Since Fall of 2013, Keri has led the High Point Academy community. Prior to High Point Academy, Keri was a school leader in DPS and most notably was the Administrative Director at Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL). RMSEL is a flagship Expeditionary Learning school as well as a hub of innovation focused on student character development and building strong school culture. Keri saw firsthand the ways EL empower staff and families to work together to ensure that the needs of students are met academically, socially, and emotionally to graduate passionate civic minded individuals. Ms. Melmed graduated Magna Cum Laude in history from University of Colorado, Boulder and later attended Columbia University, Teachers College where she earned her Master of Arts degree in Education. Keri has two boys that share her love of mountain biking, skiing, and hiking. Her husband is a ceramic artist and teaches visual arts at Smoky Hill High School in Aurora.

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