PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Deborah is a passionate educator and entrepreneur. She is the founder and executive director of the Dr. Justina Ford STEM Institute where she implements and fosters academic learning in sciences, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for elementary age girls of color in northeast Denver.

Deborah is very active in her community. She is a member of Inclusion Planning Committee for Colorado Alliance Environmental Education (CAEE). She also serves as part of the Wise Council for Share Colorado/Civic Canopy where she supports a community inclusive movement for high-impact, sustainable health outcomes in north Denver.

Previously, she served as a policy council member for Head Start in the mayor’s Office for Education and Children. In this capacity, she wrote and reviewed many grants, and assisted with assessment and monitoring of Head Start policy and services for the metro Denver district. As a board member for the Black West Museum, she chaired educational programming, and implemented and developed children and adult educational programs. She was a destination imagination coach for four consecutive years in the Montclair Elementary School. She was also the president of North City Park Civic Association, where she served as a primary spokesperson for the organization, proposed policy, and advocated for the overall good of the Skyland neighborhood.

The constituencies that Deborah is serving are representative of the students and families served by CCS. As a member of the CCS advisory board, she helps to ensure the CCS curriculum meets diverse developmental, cultural, linguistic, and education needs of our students. She also assists CCS in outreaching to diverse communities for the recruitment of prospective teachers.

EDUCATION

  • M.A., Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLD); University of Northern Colorado; Anticipated in 2017
  • B.A., Language Arts; Colorado Teachers License (certification: Environmental Education; Project Wild/Project Learning Tree, University of Northern Colorado); 2008
  • A.A., Early Childhood Education, and Directors License; Community College of Denver; 1994