Amelia Meunier
Board Chair
Amelia Meunier is the Director of Charter Schools with Aurora Public Schools and has over 19 years of experience working in public education. Prior to APS she worked as the Charter School Liaison for Special Populations at Adams 12 school district. In Adams 12, Amelia worked with the district to use best practices for Charter authorizing as well as providing support in the areas of Special Education, Section 504, Gifted and Talented, and English Language Learners. She was the Director of Special Education for KIPP Colorado. In addition, Amelia was employed with Denver Public Schools and served as the AceConnect Higher Education Partnership Specialist.
Amelia has had the opportunity to work in both charter and traditional schools in a number of capacities as a classroom teacher, a school-based administrator, district administrator, and an instructional coach. Amelia has served on a number of local and regional boards and committees representing strong authorizing practices including support in using best practice so all students have equal opportunity to access high-quality education.
Tom McMillen
Board Vice Chair
Tom McMillen is currently serving as an independent consultant to charter school boards and authorizers, focusing on governance and authorizing best practices. Tom formerly was Senior Director of Governance and Legal Support for the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI). Tom formerly also served as Community Superintendent for Charter Schools in Jefferson County, CO and was Director of Choice Programming in Douglas County, CO. Tom is proud to have been a founding member of one of the first charter schools in Colorado and has been involved in charter schools as a parent, board member, and charter school authorizer. Tom graduated from the University of Denver College of Law with a Juris Doctorate degree and from Colorado State University with a BA. Tom lives in Lakewood, CO with his wife Peg and son Aubrey.
Andy Franko
Board Treasurer
Andy Franko is the iConnect Zone Superintendent. The iConnect Zone encompasses eleven “non-traditional” schools within the district portfolio. Franko oversees four district operated schools including an Alternative Education Campus (9-12), multi-district online/blended school (K-12), multi-district online/blended Early College (9-14), and a Homeschool Program (K-12). In addition, Franko manages the authorization of seven charter schools offering K-12 models inclusive of online learning, classical education, expeditionary learning, career and tech, and humanities based education.
Franko holds a Masters Degree from the University of Colorado. His career in education includes teaching, coaching, and administration in the K-12 setting. With both traditional and public charter experience, Franko embraces a unique perspective of school choice and student opportunity.
In addition to his work in District 49, Franko serves as a board member for the Colorado League of Charter Schools and the Colorado Digital Board of Cooperative Educational Services.
Kenlyn Newman
Board Secretary
Kenlyn Newman brings over 25 years of experience in collaborating with families and communities to support students whose needs are not fully addressed by traditional educational systems. Currently serving as the Partner School Liaison in School District 27J, she works closely with seven charter school partners. Ms. Newman’s career spans a diverse range of positions, including teacher, instructional coach, assistant director, grant manager, principal, and director and has worked in four school districts. Her career has been driven by a commitment to creating opportunities and designing systems that meet the unique needs of all students.
Terry Croy Lewis
Board Member
Terry Croy Lewis, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School Institute, a statewide charter public school authorizer. Dr. Croy Lewis was previously the Vice President of School Quality & Support for the Colorado League of Charter Schools. She has over 25 years of experience in the charter school sector working in urban, suburban, and rural communities in a variety of capacities including founder, school leader, governing board member, and consultant. Dr. Croy Lewis was a founder of High Point Academy in Aurora which opened in 2006, and she served as the Executive Director and Principal for 8 years. She founded her first charter school, Platte River Academy, in 1997. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Maryland and has taught at several universities across the country.
Tayo Adeeko
Board Member
Omotayo (Tayo) Adeeko, Ph.D., is the Director of Authorizing and Accountability for Denver Public Schools. Prior to working at DPS, she worked as a researcher at The Ohio State University. Her research interests include school systems leadership, school governance, school choice, and policy implementation.
Tayo started her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn, NY, and later worked as a founding school administrator at a charter school in Washington, DC.
Angelique Sanchez-Huntman
Board Member
Angelique Sanchez-Hutman has proudly dedicated the last 15 years of her work history to being an educator because she believes education can be a strong conduit for equity, opportunities, and access. During her time at DPS Angelique has had the opportunity to serve her community as a bilingual Spanish-speaking classroom teacher, interventionist, newcomer resource, instructional coach, school-based administrator, and district administrator. Angelique worked in the Career & College Success department before she transitioned to her current role as the Senior Manager of Authorizing and Accountability with Denver Public Schools. Throughout her career, she has been a champion for equity focused on creating and designing systems that better meet the unique needs of our students.
Paige Neuharth
Board Member
Paige Neuharth is the Director of Authorizing and Accountability with Denver Public Schools (DPS). Paige comes to DPS with a dedication to authorizing best practices and ensuring quality school options for families and communities. Before joining DPS, Paige worked in Aurora Public Schools for over 5 years in the Office of Autonomous Schools designing and implementing their charter authorizing processes, while creating pathways towards school improvement. Paige currently serves as a Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA) board member.
