Marcus Bratton is a Denver native with over a decade of experience in K-12 public education. Before joining the Colorado Education Initiative earlier this year as Director of Implementation and Partnerships, Marcus was a school administrator at a K-8 in Denver, and prior to that, a high school teacher in Aurora. His work has always been guided by his belief that public education should give every student the opportunity to create the lives they want for themselves. Marcus has been married for 14 years to his wife Krista, who is a Seventh Grade Teacher, they have a son (7) and a daughter (3).

Elise Topliss is a Policy and Performance Manager with the State of Colorado, Office of Economic Security. Elise earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services – High Risk Youth from Metropolitan State University of Denver, and earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Northern Colorado. Elise is passionate about education and ensuring all children have access to safe and quality schooling, which includes minimizing the nutritional disparities among varying populations. Additionally, Elise is committed to ensuring professionals in the education field have resources and supports to be effective in their chosen field as well as have job satisfaction. Elise and her husband Jesse are the proud parents of two High Point Academy students.

Devaki Parma is a Director of Wi-Fi Product for Charter Communications. She earned her degree in Economics from Spelman College and her International M.B.A from the University of Denver. Devaki’s passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion causes has led her to mentor women in the technology industry.

Devaki has lived in the High Point community for 4 years with her husband, Robert and their children, one of which attends High Point Academy. In their free time, Devaki and her family enjoy camping, traveling – near and far, and exploring museums.

Mirela Phillips has been living in the High Point (HP) community since 2014 with her husband and two children. She is a Healthcare IT professional for Cognizant Technology Solutions with over twelve years of consulting experience. Mirela enjoys welcoming new neighbors to HP and loves helping the families settle into their new community including highly recommending High Point Academy for preschool through 8th grade.

Jennifer García Rosendo is a Colorado native with over 20 years experience supporting families with young children. She is currently the Family Engagement Manager at Early Learning Ventures, an organization dedicated to increasing access to high quality early educational experiences for all children and families. She has a Bachelors in Psychology from Adams State University and a Master’s in Education Administration from the University of Denver.   Jennifer is passionate about ensuring that children and the adults who care for them have strong support systems that enable them to thrive. Jennifer and her husband Simon are the proud parents of a 2^nd grader at HPA.

Theo Shaw serves as Director of Equity and Community Partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools. Theo earned his Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina A&T State University, a Master of Education degree from Xavier University, an Academic and Intellectually Gifted Licensure from Duke University, and is scheduled to earn his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver next spring. Theo joins us with diverse personal experiences and a commitment to equitable outcomes for every student.

Theo got married in the summer of 2022 to his wife, Crystal. They have two boys, thirteen and eight.