Bright, Talented & Black

I am a Gifted and Talented Specialist and Diversity Representative for the department in Denver Public Schools.  I work 1/2 time in gifted and 1/2 time in Indian Education.  I work with 6-8th grade Native American students at Merrill Middle School.  I am also a founding board member for West Denver Prep Charter School which now has four middle schools and plans for a high school in 2012.  West Denver Prep has over 90% Latino population and the #1 and #2 middle schools according to the Denver school performance framework.  I worked with Dr. James Banks and the Southern Poverty Law Center at the Teaching Tolerance Institute in 1997.  I also trained at the REACH (Respecting Ethnic and Cultural Heritage) Institute with Gary Howard.  I retired from Jefferson County Public Schools where I received the district's Wayne Carle Diversity Award in 2008.  I believe the combination of technology and culture can motivate and propel diverse learners into the vanguard of leadership for 21st Century innovation.