CENTRAL OFFICE
West Denver Prep's schools are supported by one Central Office team which coordinates centralized services for the network including strategic planning, finances, operations, technology, curriculum, development, communications, faculty and staff recruitment, student enrollment management, and network growth.
ALEXA ANDERSEN, Network Specialist for Math and Sciences. Before working for West Denver Prep, Ms. Andersen taught fifth grade math, fourth grade, and second grade at Leadership Prep Charter School in Brooklyn, New York. During her time at Leadership Prep, she severed as a Grade Team Chair and Saturday School Coordinator. Ms. Andersen previously taught seventh grade math for two years at JHS 265 in Brooklyn, New York, through Teach For America. Prior to this, she was a second grade summer school teacher at Excellence Charter School in Brooklyn, New York, and second grade student teacher at Tonda Elementary School in Canton, Michigan. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education (Graduated with High Distinction) from the University of Michigan and received her Certificate in Teaching and Secondary Mathematics from Pace University. aandersen@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 177.
WHITNEY BRIDE, Chief Financial & Operations Officer, is an alumna of Teach for America, a national corps of demonstrated leaders committed to affecting change in low-income communities by teaching in urban and rural public schools. In addition to teaching 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades, Mrs. Bride served as a corps member liaison to the Teach for America Regional Board of Directors in Houston, Texas. She has spent the past five years working primarily with Latino families and communicates proficiently in Spanish. She holds a B.S. in Human & Organizational Development with an emphasis on Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness from Vanderbilt University. wbride@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 174.
DANIEL CARROLL, Director of Data and Technology, is from Columbus, Ohio. He spent two years teaching 8th grade science at West Denver Prep's Federal Campus as a Teach for America corps member and strongly believes in the organization's mission to end educational inequality. Mr. Carroll has a B.A. in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, where he spent his time working on the website for the student newspaper and tutoring in low-income parts of Boston. In addition to his lifelong passion for science, he enjoys skiing, trying new technology, and cheering for the Red Sox and the Ohio State Buckeyes. dcarroll@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 180.
MEGAN FRANCES CONKLIN, Grants and Federal Programs Manager. A native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Megan received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She has over five years of experience in non-profit development and fundraising, which began with an internship at Maryland’s Legal Aid Bureau. Ms. Conklin has enjoyed working and volunteering for organizations that promote social justice, give voice to equality, and empower youth.Megan brings a variety of fundraising experience and a serious passion for doing everything possible to help youth realize their full potential and strive for college. She has volunteered as an art instructor for Art with a Heart in Baltimore and a coach for Girls on the Run of the Rockies. She enjoys running, skiing, and hiking. mconklin@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 176.
SHANA DINNER DE VACA, Chief Curriculum Officer and Principal-in-Training, is a Denver native. Prior to becoming West Denver Prep’s founding writing teacher and then a Director of Curriculum & Instruction for the growing school network, Mrs. Dinner de Vaca taught at Denver Summerbridge for three summers and then spent two years in Quito, Ecuador where she helped start an elementary school. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder and holds a B.A. in both Spanish and French (language and literature) and an M.A. in Education from the University of Denver. She enjoys training for half marathons and, as a result of her love of languages, has now begun studying Italian. sdinnerdevaca@westdenverprep.org, 303-962-9880 x 105.
JOSH DEVON, Controller.
jdevon@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 182.
CHRIS GIBBONS, Lead Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to founding West Denver Prep in 2005, Chris completed the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, a nationally-recognized training program for charter school founders. He also served as the director of Denver Summerbridge, a non-profit education program (now part of the Breakthrough Collaborative), and was a teacher both at Summerbridge and City on a Hill Charter School in Boston. Fluent in Spanish, he holds a B.S. in Biology from Yale University and a M.Ed. from Regis University. cgibbons@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360.
MOLLY HAMMANS, Network Specialist for Special Education, received her BS in Economics from the University of Oregon and pursued a career in finance before deciding to become a math teacher in 2003. She returned to school at Pacific University where she earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching. For the past 5 years, Ms. Hammans has taught general education math and multiple special education subjects in Eugene, Oregon. She has also coached her 2-time District Champion middle school track and field team. Most recently, Ms. Hammans was a building level administrative intern as she earned her Initial Administrative License from the University of Oregon. She enjoys sharing her love of learning and athletics with all students, regardless of ability level. mhammans@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 178.
CAMILLE HOWELLS, Director of Development & Communications, is responsible for network fundraising, branding, print and web collateral, public relations and visitor tours for the West Denver Prep network. A graduate of Greeley West High School in Greeley, CO, she believes in strong, college-preparatory, public options for all students. This commitment to West Denver Prep’s mission brought her to the growing organization in spring, 2009. Previously, she coordinated large-scale student volunteer and civic engagement programs at Colorado State University as well as grant-making and community development initiatives throughout Colorado as part of the El Pomar Foundation Fellowship program. An AmeriCorps alumna and graduate of John Brown University, she is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. She enjoys time with family and friends, sprint triathlons, skiing, and live music. chowells@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 181.
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ALICIA LUCERO, Enrollment Manager.
alucero@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 175.
RENA MAEZ, Director of Alumni Services.
rmaez@westdenverprep.org, 303-573-2017 x 305.
NATHALIE SOSA, Director of Human Capital, is from Miami, Florida. She was a 2008 Teach For America corps member in Phoenix, where she taught 2nd grade. As the Director of Human Capital, Nathalie works to find the very best teachers and staff for the West Denver Prep network. Prior to working at West Denver Prep, Nathalie graduated from Arizona State University with an M.A. in Elementary Education and from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Psychology and minors in Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits and Teaching English as a Second Language. nsosa@westdenverprep.org.
ANTONIO VIGIL, WDP SMART Designer and School Director. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Antonio like the vast majority of his students is a first-generation college graduate. After graduating from Regis Jesuit High School, Antonio completed his B.A. in Ethnic, Third World and Latin American Literatures from Saint John’s University (MN). Following his work in college admissions to recruit and retain underrepresented and first-generation students, he returned to Colorado to elevate his craft as a poet and public educator. He completed his M.F.A. from Colorado State University in Creative Writing and Ethnic and Third World Literature, and his first collection of poetry, The Obsidian Ranfla was published by Cleveland State University. Utilizing his technique as a poet and public educator, Antonio has worked tirelessly for the past decade to empower his students, colleagues and larger community to overturn the rank and file of low academic expectations. Antonio believes that by reaching and teaching in a revolutionary way, educators will make the impossible appear as commonplace. As such, these invaluable and largely successful professional endeavors will assist him in designing the highest performing college preparatory high school in Denver for West Denver Prep. avigil@westdenverprep.org, 303-573-2017 x 329.
CASSANDRA YOUNG, Central Office Manager, earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2009. She moved from her hometown of Kaibeto, Arizona in 1995 to pursue a college degree. Prior to West Denver Prep, she worked in the Development Office at Kent Denver School and Denver Summerbridge. cyoung@westdenverprep.org, 303-630-0360 x 179.
