Ken Weil, Executive Director, College Summit Colorado -A graduate of Miami University (B.Ph, Interdisciplinary Studies and George Washington University (M.P.A.), Ken joins College Summit after serving as the CEO of newly-elected Denver Mayor Hancock’s transition organization including the effort to develop the new Denver Education Compact. Previously, Ken served as the Deputy Chief Of Staff and Director, Office of Policy and Initiatives for former Governor Ritter. In that position he helped shape and lead the former Governor’s policy agenda including education, health care, transportation and economic development. Prior to his life in the public arena, Ken served for more than a decade as President of Rose Biomedical Research, Rose Biomedical Development Corporation & MedDetect, LLC. The companies developed new medical technologies to improve the quality of medical care. As Executive Director, Ken focuses on engaging with new school district partners, developing strategies to bring College Summit to more communities in Metro Denver and throughout Colorado, establishing additional funding opportunities and creating community partnerships.

Heather Riley, PhD., Program Director, College Summit-Colorado – A graduate of Wesleyan University (B.A. in English, 1990), Heather grew up in Colorado, and is an alumnae of Denver Public Schools. Heather holds a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction, as well as a Doctorate of Philosophy, in Education, Equity and Cultural Diversity from the University of Colorado - Boulder.  Recently, Heather received her School Principal License from the University of Denver, Morgridge School of Education. Heather brings a wealth of experience as a classroom teacher, school administrator and university instructor.  Her primary career focus has been on bilingual and multicultural education, most recently, as an ELA Secondary Consultant in Aurora Public Schools. She has also worked in Denver Public Schools & Boulder Valley Public Schools. In her role at College Summit, Heather is responsible for engaging with new school district partners, managing college relations and overseeing program implementation in the region.

Jesse Ramirez, School Partnership Manager, College Summit-Colorado - A graduate of Colorado State University (B.A. in Political Science and Minor in Chicano Studies, 2005) and  (M.Ed in Educational Leadership, 2007).  Jesse is the School Partnership Manager working to support the successful implementation of College Summit’s tools in five high schools around the greater Denver Metro area. Much of Jesse’s work and research is concentrated on issues pertaining to the Latino community including the issue of Compressive Immigration Reform. As a first generation Mexican-American and a native of Denver, Colorado Jesse feels a great passion to make sure all students have the access to every opportunity to better their futures as he has had in his own life. “Si Se Puede, Yes We Can!”  

Sara Spanier, Development Manager, College Summit-Colorado – A graduate of University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (B.S. 2002) and St. Catherine University (M.A., 2010).  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, policy/research on social and economic determinants of health and implementation of county and state health collaborations.  Sara is responsible for managing the grants process, directing the fundraising activities for the local fund development committee and increasing the community visibility of the organization.

Colorado Regional Advisory Board

Jill Barkin
Vice President, Corporate Philanthropy and Community Relations, JP Morgan Chase

Gwen Brewer
Community Leader and Former Educator

Dr. Linda Bowman
Community College of Aurora

Elaine Gantz Berman
1st Congressional District – Denver and Colorado State Board of Education

Paul Mesard
Community Leader and Former Financial Advisor

Julie Mork
Managing Director, ECA Foundation

Kevin O'Shaughnessey
Principal, Growth Cataysts, LLC

Jennifer Stern
Executive Director, Janus Education Alliance, Denver Public Schools

Alexie Tune
Partner, Deloitte Services, LLP