Welcome to College Summit

Colorado Team

Susan Bross, Executive Director

A graduate of Baylor University (B.A., in Communications, 1993), Susan grew up in Colorado. For six years before joining College Summit-Colorado, Susan worked with non-profit organizations committed to social entrepreneurship, in the areas of fundraising, community relations, marketing communications, and strategic planning. Before joining College Summit-Colorado, Susan helped launch New Profit, Inc., a venture philanthropy fund in Boston. While with New Profit, she served as Assistant Director of Development, Director of Communications, and Assistant Portfolio Manager. She is currently focused on developing strategies to bring College Summit to more communities in Metro Denver and throughout Colorado, establishing additional funding opportunities and creating (more) community partnerships.

Jon Mann, Program Director

A graduate of Claremont McKenna (B.A., 1982); University of Colorado-Boulder (Teacher Certification Secondary Education, MA Science Content and Curriculum, 1989), University of Denver (MA School Administration, 2005.), Jon brings a tremendous amount of experience to College Summit. Prior to living in northern India and working at Woodstock School, Jon was the Executive Director for the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning, a progressive, public K-12 school. Jon’s career experiences also include working as a Principal Leadership Facilitator with the Public Education and Business Coalition, serving as Director of Education for Colorado Ocean Journey, teaching science and technology at various schools, and establishing a local chain of restaurants. At College Summit, Jon is responsible for program implementation and managing high school and college relationships

Jessie Ramirez, Operations Associate

Jessie is a native of Denver, Colorado and is committed to serving the very community, which throughout his life has made countless sacrifices so he could pursue a higher education. Jesse is a first generation Mexican-American and a first generation college graduate. He received his B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Chicano Studies from Colorado State University (2005) and completed his coursework on his Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Human Resource also from Colorado State Univesity (2007). Jesse is very involved in the Chicano community both in the city of Denver and the the city of Fort Collins. Jesse is also a proud Brother of Sigma Lambda International Fraternity, Inc., the largest historically Latino based fraternity in the United States. He also enjoys reading , writing, and performing poetry!  Jesse's motto in life is based on the philosophy of the great Chicano leader, Cesar Chavez, who said, "Si Se Puede!" which translates to, "It can be done!"

Theresa Gatewood, High School Coordinator

Theresa is a graduate of University of Northern Colorado (B.A. in Communications, 2004). Theresa is a College Summit Alumna, having participated in College Summit in 1999 while a student at Manual High School in Denver. Additionally, Theresa was a Daniels Fund Scholar. A leader among her peers, Theresa served as a college prep and scholarship program intern at the Daniels Fund for two consecutive summers while pursuing her bachelor’s degree and as co-president of the Thurgood Marshall Club at University of Northern Colorado. In this role, Theresa will expand on the strong relationships she built over the past year with counselors and teachers in our partner high schools. Theresa will provide extensive support to these individuals as they implement the College Summit Curriculum throughout the school year.

Sara Spanier, Senior Development Coordinator

A graduate of University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (B.S. 2002). Sara comes to College Summit Colorado through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Before joining College Summit, Sara spent two years with the Minnesota Department of Health where she worked in the areas of community engagement strategies, research and implementation of programs. Sara is responsible for tracking and identifying potential opportunities for federal and state government, foundations, corporations, trusts and individuals. She assists in the grant-making process and submits final reports to current funders.

Click here to contact the Colorado team.