Board of Directors

John Brewer : Community Representative

John Brewer

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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Amanda Brown, Past Chair : Community Representative

Amanda Brown, Past Chair

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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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Juana Rosa Cavero : Parent Representative

Juana Rosa Cavero

Parent Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

My commitment to my community is clear and unwavering. My professional and community involvement center around my staunch belief that equity and justice are achievable. As a mom of a fifth grader (Caetano) and sixth grader (Joaquim), I am committed to the Odyssey community and to ensuring that we apply all our resources to best serve the needs of our students and community. I have nonprofit and elected board experience and will apply my lessons learned to my governance role on the Odyssey School Board.

Professionally, I have dedicated my career to projects that make real improvements to people’s lives with roles within reproductive justice, public health, Latino/a policy research and civil rights advocacy. I have worked in the US and globally with organizations that specifically work to ensure that women and girls have access to the most basic healthcare and health education. I continue this work today as Director of ReproCollab at the Caring for Colorado Foundation.

My passion and drive comes from my family. I am the eldest daughter of immigrant parents who made their lives in the US while serving in the United States Marine Corps. I grew up around the world – seeing first-hand the beauty and inequities of communities both on and off-base.  I pass along my lessons learned on to my own children to encourage them to work for equity even on the playground. Their kindness, respect and activism in their community is my greatest joy.

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Nadja Cockrell : Community Representative

Nadja Cockrell

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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Alison Hadden : Parent Representative

Alison Hadden

Parent Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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.

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Travis Haley, Chair Elect : Community Representative

Travis Haley, Chair Elect

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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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Kelley Krupicka : Parent Representative

Kelley Krupicka

Parent Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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Ryan Lally, Treasurer : Community Member

Ryan Lally, Treasurer

Community Member

board@odysseydenver.org

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Laurel Lenz, Secretary : Parent Representative

Laurel Lenz, Secretary

Parent Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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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Dawn Loge : Staff Representative

Dawn Loge

Staff Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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Kathryn Martinez : Executive Director

Kathryn Martinez

Executive Director

kathryn@odysseydenver.org
For over a decade, I have worked in schools that bring learning to life in creative ways - prioritizing the joy and wonder in learning. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago and attending a K-8 school myself, I know the power of crew and the lifelong relationships that can be formed in these pivotal years. I began my teaching career as a Teach For America corps member in Houston, Texas. I then returned home to Chicago to teach and lead at a K-8 single site charter school. I moved to Denver in 2016 and served as an Assistant Principal and then Principal of a single site charter school in Northeast Park Hill. Having found my home in the Odyssey community, being the Executive Director is a great honor. The culmination of my beliefs in what school should look like have come together at Odyssey - meaningful character education, the creation of high quality work that reflects deep learning, and a robust outdoor education program.
The outdoors feeds my soul and when I am not spending time at Odyssey, I love to hike and explore Colorado's mountains. My husband, Nick, and I love to camp with our twins, Max and Charlie, and explore all that Colorado and the surrounding states have to offer. At home, I love to curl up with a good book and share my love of reading with all who will listen.
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Keri Melmed, Chair : Community Representative

Keri Melmed, Chair

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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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Alisha Smith : Community Representative

Alisha Smith

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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Kaylie Titus : Staff Representative

Kaylie Titus

Staff Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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Caitlin Vaughan : Community Representative

Caitlin Vaughan

Community Representative

board@odysseydenver.org

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