Press Release - P-20 Council Meeting and New Members
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 17, 2008
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER'S P-20 EDUCATION COUNCIL MEETS TOMORROW
Gov. Bill Ritter's P-20 Education Coordinating Council will hold its next meeting tomorrow, welcoming several new members and beginning to focus attention on possible recommendations for the 2009 legislative session.
The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Jefferson County Public Schools board room, 1829 Denver West Drive, Building 27, Golden.
Gov. Ritter established the P-20 Council last year to create a seamless education system from pre-school to grad-school that provides Colorado students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in a 21st century economy. Visit the P-20 Education Council's website for more details.
The agenda for tomorrow's meeting:
10 to10:20 a.m.
Welcome and Overview
Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien
- Introduce and welcome new P-20 Council members (see below for names and biographical details) and legislator advisers
- Council updates
- Discussion of day's agenda
10:20 to 10:30 a.m.
Host Welcome
Dr. Cynthia Stevenson, Superintendent, Jefferson County Schools
10:30 to 10:50 a.m.
Discussion of Governor Ritter's Priority Questions for 2008
Matt Gianneschi, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of the Governor
10:50 to 11:45 a.m.
Subcommittee Agendas for Fall: Proposed Work Plans and Preliminary Recommendations
- P-3 -- Lt. Gov. O'Brien & Anna Jo Haynes
- Systems Transformation -- Zach Neumeyer & Barbara O'Brien
- Educator -- Dr. Eugene Sheehan
- Data & Accountability -- Dr. Elliot Asp
- Preparation & Transitions -- CSU-Pueblo President and P-20 Co-Chair Joe Garcia
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Lunch
12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
General Discussion of Subcommittee Work
Michael Gass, United Launch Alliance and P-20 Co-Chair
Joe Garcia, Colorado State University - Pueblo
1:45 p.m.
Public Comment
Matt Gianneschi, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of the Governor
Next P-20 Meeting:
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008
Colorado State University at Pueblo
Occhiato Student Center
2200 Bonforte Blvd., Pueblo
New P-20 Council members who will be introduced tomorrow:
Nate Easley, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Denver Scholarship Foundation
Nate Easley, Ph.D. is Deputy Director for the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF). Prior to joining DSF, Dr. Easley served as Vice President for National and International Programs for the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. Dr. Easley has worked at the state, national and international levels to create opportunities for first-generation, low-income and ethnic minority students. He has more than 20 years of experience working with college access and retention programs and professionals. Dr. Easley served as an Upward Bound counselor and assistant director at Colorado State University, President of the Colorado TRIO Association (Colorado ASPIRE), board member for the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel, and director of the Student Support Services program and the campus learning center at the University of California at San Diego.
Matt Nehring, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics, Adams State College
A Colorado native, Dr. Matt Nehring grew up in Montrose, later graduating with a bachelor's degree in physics from the Colorado School of Mines in 1990 and a Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1995. Following an appointment as a post-doctoral researcher at Vanderbilt University, Matt joined the faculty at Adams State College in the fall of 1998. He served two terms as Faculty Trustee of Adams State College (2003-2007) and has been serving as the chair of the Department of Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics since 2004.
Zach T. Neumeyer, Chairman and CEO, Sage Investment Holdings
Zachary T. Neumeyer is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sage Investment Holdings, parent company to Sage Hospitality Resources. He is Chairman of Colorado Succeeds, Colorado's business voice in education reform, and is a member of other education boards, including Gov. Ritter's Jobs Cabinet, the Business Advisory Council for Higher Education for the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and several organizations representing children in the State of Colorado. Neumeyer serves on the Executive Advisory Board for the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver and is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Denver. Neumeyer was recognized by the Colorado Children's Campaign as one of the 20 most influential Coloradans for Children's welfare.
Donna Souther, Executive Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Aims Community College
Donna Souther is the Executive Dean and Chief Academic Officer at Aims Community College in Greeley. She also serves as Aims' representative on the Academic Council, a policy advisory committee in the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Ms. Souther has worked as an instructor at Metropolitan State College in Denver, the Community College of Aurora, and Aims Community College. Ms. Souther earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from Colorado State University, her Master of Arts degree in Human Communication from the University of Northern Colorado, and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
George Sparks, President and CEO, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
George Sparks is the President & CEO of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He received a master's in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor's in aeronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy. Early in his career, he served as an air force pilot and was an assistant professor of aeronautics at the USAF Academy. From 1979 to 1999 he worked for Hewlett-Packard, eventually becoming general manager of several divisions. From 1999 to 2003, he served as a vice president for Agilent Technologies, a spin-off from Hewlett-Packard. He most recently was a partner at NorthStone Group, a management consulting company in Louisville.
Mr. Sparks has worked closely with Denver Public Schools and has served as a board member for many Colorado organizations, including University of Colorado at Boulder's President's Leadership Class, Colorado MESA, Colorado Forum, the Public Education and Business Coalition, Colorado Bright Beginnings, and the Colorado Advisory Council of the Trust for Public Lands. He also serves on Mayor John Hickenlooper's Early Childhood Education Leadership Team.