Amanda Brown recently 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 fifteen 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. Amanda holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado, Denver, and Bachelor’s degrees in Advertising and Sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Amanda and her husband live in Park Hill with their four-year-old daughter. They love living in the city and taking advantage of all Denver has to offer.

Alison Hadden is a 2021 addition to the Odyssey School Board as a Parent Director. Alison is currently a Program Officer managing the grant portfolio of the John F. and Mary A. Geisse Foundation, a foundation focused on supporting organizations that have demonstrated success in breaking the cycle of extreme poverty in the developing world. She partners with domestic NGOs working internationally in the education, justice, agriculture, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) sectors. Alison also enjoys teaching group fitness classes part time at The Fit Collective in Denver. Before her current work, Alison was a Kindergarten teacher in both private and public Denver schools. She holds a Masters in Educational Psychology from CU Denver, a BA in Psychology from the University of Denver, and received her teacher training through the Stanley British Teacher Preparation Program. Alison lives in the Cole neighborhood with her 4 children, 3 of whom are currently attending Odyssey (Medea, Wendell, and Pax). Their family enjoys biking, hiking, art projects, spending time with their animals, and generally trying to take advantage of what Denver and the mountains of Colorado have to offer.

I grew up in Kansas and obtained a B.A. in Microbiology from Kansas State University before heading off to Seattle to complete a Ph.D. in Immunology then to Berkeley for postdoctoral studies. I moved to Denver for a faculty position in 2004 and was promoted to the rank of full Professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine in 2015. My day job primarily involves training professional and graduate students and running an externally-funded research lab focused on defining how inflammatory and immune responses are regulated in the context of infections and other diseases.

Outside of work, I enjoy camping, hiking, biking, and pretty much anything else done outdoors or in the company of my wife, Carrie, and our three children. Our family has been a part of the Odyssey community since 2014. The expeditionary learning model and focus on fostering a love of learning and growth of the whole child initially brought us to Odyssey. Our participation in the adventure program and other activities here has enabled us to witness firsthand the empowering of our children and their crew-mates. It has also been inspiring to see the commitment of Odyssey's families and staff towards sustaining this wonderful community and school. As a parent representative on the Board of Directors I have the opportunity to work with other members of the community to help ensure that Odyssey School of Denver continues to excel as an EL institution that educates and grows children to their fullest potential.

Danielle supports curriculum and development at an elementary charter network in Denver and Aurora. She specializes in early literacy and has worked in schools and educational non-profits in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Denver. Danielle recently spent some time teaching at an expeditionary school in Denver and is thrilled to have her two kids attending Odyssey! Danielle and her family love biking to all the amazing spaces near their South City Park home, hanging with their quarantine pup, Hank, and enjoying time with friends and neighbors.

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.