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.

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.

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.” I grew up on the east coast in Massachusetts. When I was 16 I had a life-changing experience rafting the deep canyons of the west and I was inspired to discover the world outside my front door. At 18 I moved to the western United States and I graduated from Colorado State University achieving a degree in Wildlife Biology with minors in Fisheries and Rangeland Ecology, which led to my passion for teaching in an outdoor environment through recreation and stewardship. I lived in Western United States for 5 years until seeking experience internationally working and living in Australia for 3 years. I have been an active outdoor professional for the last 13 years. I began guiding rafting trips on the Arkansas River, which led to more intense wilderness-based expeditions with Outward Bound, Collegiate Universities, and Commercial Guiding Outfitters throughout the United States. I have worked and traveled throughout the world to broaden my knowledge and experience to construct high quality adventure-based programs for groups of all ages.  I am a new resident to Denver and I own two active dogs. I have been a Volunteer Ski Patroller and a teacher of CPR. I also teach wilderness medicine for the Longleaf Wilderness Medicine Company because I believe in the positive impact that it can have on a person’s life by empowering people to respond in both front and back country settings. I am incredibly excited to be working within the Odyssey community as the new Director of Adventure Programming. It will be an amazing opportunity to work with students and their families to help support and accomplish the mission of the Odyssey School of Denver.

I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but growing up I spent my summers on a sandbar in Lake Erie and my winters on a snowboard in Keystone. When I was 9 my family moved to Warsaw, Poland, for 3 years, and the international community left a lasting impact on my love for new experiences and appreciation for perspectives different from my own.

I am excited to be joining the Odyssey board this year as a community member. I have spent the last seven years as the Director of Counseling at Annunciation Catholic School, which is also an EL school. I have always admired Odyssey as an inspiration for EL schools around the country. I am eager to support the school's passion for adventure, inclusivity, and character building. I currently have a private psychotherapy practice located in the Stanley Marketplace. I live in Stapleton with my husband and two kids (5 and 3). We are in the process of training our children to be avid skiers and climbers. I have a BA in economics from Colorado College and a MA in counseling psychology from the University of Denver.