Mike Miles
was most recently the Superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District, responsible for 160,000 students, 20,000 employees, and a $1.7 Billion budget. Miles took a low-performing and ineffective school system and turned it around. During his three-year tenure, the District achieved the highest student achievement growth of any large urban district in Texas. The foundations of a high performance culture were laid and the District was placed on its best financial footing ever, with the fund balance growing from $160 million in 2012 to $360 million in 2015. Miles also turned around the Harrison School District in Colorado Springs as its Superintendent from 2006 to 2012. Miles is also a well-known consultant who has helped numerous districts across the nation improve performance and raise student achievement.
Aljean Tucker
is an expert in curriculum and instruction. As the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in the Harrison School District, Ms. Tucker raised expectations for principals and teachers and greatly improved the quality of instruction. Ms. Tucker used data to provide aligned professional development and to prioritize the use of resources. Her department created common assessments and implemented the most rigorous pay-for-performance system in the nation.
Kevin Smelker
is a certified public accountant and has been a finance or budget director for most of his adult life. He is the former past president of the Colorado Association of School Business Officials and has received numerous awards for his work in business and education. As the Chief Operations Officer in Dallas and Assistant Superintendent of Support Services in Fountain (which included leadership of the budget and finance department), Mr. Smelker understands finance and how to run a fiscally responsible and highly effective organization.
Andi Ruskin
has spent nearly 20 years as a teacher, instructional coordinator, assistant principal, and leader in other positions in public schools in Colorado. She is an excellent professional developer and coach. She will help the team implement a first-rate literacy and math curriculum. Ms. Ruskin will also help outline the professional development plan and personalized learning environment.
Shirley Miles
is skilled at leadership, organizational effectiveness, change management, and the development of teachers and principals. She has been a successful principal, superintendent and formerly served as Director of the Department of Defense Schools. She is currently the Chair of the College of Education of Argosy University in Denver.