Our Board
2023-2024 Academy Board Meetings - 7:00 pm
July 31, 2023 - Board Retreat: School Year Planning (Starts at 8:00am)
August 28, 2023
September 25, 2023
October 30, 2023 - Special Meeting: Fall Data Presentation (Starts at 5:30pm)
November 27, 2023
December 11, 2023
January 29, 2024
February 26, 2024 - Special Meeting: Winter Data Presentation (Starts at 5:30pm)
March 25, 2024
April 29, 2024
May 20, 2024
June 10, 2024
Meetings of the Board of Directors
Board meetings are typically held in the Summit at Main Campus at 7:00pm on the last Monday of each month the school is in session. Formal Board meetings are typically preceeded by a Board Work Session that starts at 5:30pm. All meetings are open to the public, and your attendance is welcome.
Meeting agendas are posted 24 hours in advance in the front entryway in the communication board. For issues involving personnel, contracts, or other sensitive matters, the Board may vote by a two-thirds majority to adjourn to Executive Session during the regularly scheduled Board Meeting agenda.
The Academy Board is governed by a single elected Board of Directors. The Academy includes Pre-K, Elementary School (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12).
The primary responsibility of the Board of Directors (BOD) is the governance of the school, development of positive community relations, preservation of The Academy's mission and vision. The Academy Board is accountable to teachers, parents, students, and the community for maintaining the intent of the Charter.
Implementation of policies, procedures, and daily operations is the responsibility of The Academy’s administration. The BOD meets once a month to examine operations, establish new policies, and review existing policies as needed.
Requests, concerns, and information items may be offered by parents, students, and teachers for public discussion during a community comment period scheduled for the beginning of all formal BOD meetings. The Academy does offer a remote option for joining board meetings. If you are interested in this, please email susan.wagar@theacademyk12.org by 9:00 am on the day of the board meeting.
For additional information on the board, please contact Susan Wagar, Executive Administrative Manager.
Board Communication Agreements
Board Members
Sarah Drewlow - Chair
board@theacademyk12.org
Sarah and her husband Mike have two children attending elementary school at The Academy. Sarah grew up in Iowa, but knew since high school that she would move to Colorado as soon as she could. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Finance from Waldorf College in Iowa, and moved to the Denver area a month later. Sarah has worked in Human Resources within the banking industry for 20+ years, and is currently the Head of Strategic Learning & Organizational Development team for BMO (Bank of Montreal). She completed a Master's Degree at Regis University in Organizational Leadership and is passionate about making learning fun and effective. Sarah volunteers with Junior Achievement and Food for Hope, and she loves serving The Academy community. She and her family enjoy traveling, cooking, and cheering on local sports teams, especially the Avalanche and Broncos.
Amy McDuffee - Vice Chair
board@theacademyk12.org
Amy and her husband are the proud parents of two Wildcats – one elementary student and one middle schooler - both of whom have attended The Academy since Pre-K. Amy grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Steven's Point with a bachelor's degree in communications. She moved to Colorado in the late 1990s. Over her nearly 25 year career, Amy has dedicated herself to improving the retirement security outcomes of Americans through better decision-making. She has worked inside of large financial services institutions in senior-level strategy, operational, and product roles and in an international investment consulting firm as a lead governance consultant in the service of public sector pension clients. In early 2017, Amy founded Mosaic Governance Advisors, LLC, a Colorado-based consultancy providing strategic governance advice to the international public pension fund community. With clients ranging in assets under management from $2B to over $280B, Mosaic assists boards and their executive teams to identify, implement, and embrace practices that maximize the value of an organization's governance function. As CEO, Amy leads a team of experts as well as serves as lead consultant. Her specialties include strategic planning, policy development, governance structure reviews, fiduciary education, strategic communications, risk assessment, succession planning, board self-evaluation, executive evaluation, and other governance matters. Amy believes that strong cultures of ethics and integrity unite communities. She is honored to be in service to the mission and culture of The Academy and the Wildcat community.
Autumn Coffee - Secretary
board@theacademyk12.org
Autumn and her husband Matt are proud parents of two students at The Academy – one elementary student and one middle school student. She grew up in Texas and attended The University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Marketing. She promptly moved to Vail, Colorado to be a ski instructor to children ages 3-6. After some fun in the mountains, Autumn began her career in Colorado in human resources and business consulting. Currently serving as Vice President for a global workforce solutions organization, Autumn has dedicated her career to improving human resources processes and consulting on corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is passionate about The Academy's mission and is honored to serve on the Academic Committee as well as The Academy Board. Autumn loves spending time with her family and doing whatever they want to do!
Dan Klenjoski - Treasurer
board@theacademyk12.org
Dan was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from Ohio University with a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science, Dan headed west to San Diego with a pit stop in Denver to visit friends. He fell in love with Colorado and decided to make it his home. Dan and his wife Karianne have two young Wildcats making their way through The Academy. Dan is a GIS Developer at the City of Northglenn and also invests in real estate. In his free time, Dan enjoys playing soccer, bike rides, fixing cars, and traveling. Dan is excited to serve our Academy families to help provide all students access to the highest quality of education.
Kevin Sanchez - Member
board@theacademyk12.org
Kevin Sanchez is a Colorado Native who enjoys life to the fullest. He has been married to his wife Nan for 18 years, and loves raising their 6 children together here in the Colorado Rockies! Kevin has 15 years’ experience in Telecommunications managing highly technical Voice over IP call centers. He is currently a full-time Realtor for the past 3 years. In addition to his telecommunications background, he has worked with at risk youth and kids for approximately 20 years and traveled the country doing school assemblies with positive themed messages. He has an Associate’s degree in Business Management and a 3 year Ministerial Arts Degree in Christian Ministry. He has served in Leadership at many different levels and is passionate about contributing whatever insight he can to make the Academy even better. In addition to his professional experience, he has been a part of the family Ambassador program at the Academy for the past year and volunteers at many events throughout the year.
Kevin’s family came to the Academy 9 years ago and has students at every level from Elementary all the way to High School. He enjoys the dynamic and proactive approach the Academy takes to the staff and school and is looking forward to contributing to future successes here. Seeing the drive of the Administration to make the Academy stand out among schools in the area is what drives Kevin to make a significant contribution in his role on the Board. He is excited about what lies ahead.
Some of Kevin’s interests include drawing, painting, gardening, swimming, biking, small hikes (as long as you don’t need ropes), and fun in the park with the family. He enjoys reading and spending as much time as possible with family and friends.
Larissa Fransua - Member
board@theacademyk12.org
Larissa is a Colorado native, born and raised Englewood, Colorado. She graduated with honors from Columbine High School and a proud mother of three children who have attended the Academy since 2017. Larissa enjoys paddle boarding, camping, fishing, and anything that the Colorado outdoors has to offer. For four years, she ran the Nurses Aid Education Committee at Front Range Community College. For 8 years, she managed an in-home care company caring for seniors and adults with disabilities. In 2016, Larissa worked with the City of Broomfield providing grants to people with lower income and disabilities allowing them to gain access to in home care. Currently, she owns her own business in Thornton working as a licensed esthetician helping individuals feel their best while also going to school to perform PMU.
Kristen Cofrades - Member
board@theacademyk12.org
Kristen and her husband, Daniel, have a daughter that has attended The Academy since pre-K and is now entering her sophomore year of high school. Kristen grew up all over the country and overseas on Air Force bases as her father was an Air Force pilot.
She received her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Later, Kristen followed her passion for cooking and the restaurant industry by enrolling in the culinary arts program at the Art Institute of Colorado. She received her AA in culinary arts and began her career path in cooking and hospitality working in the hotel industry. After working as a chef in the hotel industry for several years, Kristen decided to make a career change and teach culinary arts at Johnson and Wales University-Denver. She also attended graduate school at JWU and was awarded a Master of Business Administration in hospitality.
Kristen and her husband, Daniel, started Early Bird Restaurant together in 2012 and now manage 2 locations in the Denver area. She and her family volunteer for the Children’s Diabetes Foundation in Denver and support The Academy community in several different ways. As a family they love to ski, travel, watch endless amounts of girl’s volleyball and cook meals together. Kristen is honored to serve The Academy community through supporting the board, administration, staff, students, and families. Go Wildcats!