We’re proud of our team and the dedicated, innovative individuals it’s comprised of. It takes all of us, working together, to help our scholars reach their full potential and live inspired, purposeful lives.
Our Team
Our talented educators drive our mission forward.
Valor | Flagship Team
Amelia Bradshaw
5th and 6th Grade Writing
Amelia Bradshaw
5th and 6th Grade Writing
Ms. Klug, a native of Florida, received her undergraduate degree in Public Administration with minors in Education and Non-Profit Management from the University of Central Florida. Passionate about serving her university, she was inducted into the Order of Pegasus–the highest honor given to a UCF student. She served on the Teach For America recruitment team for two years in college, working to bring the best and the brightest campus leaders into the field of education.
Ms. Klug joined the Valor Team as a 5th grade Social Studies teacher last year after began her teaching career as an English Language Instructor for the New York Mets Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic. During her time with the Mets, she prepared Dominican professional baseball players for life and culture in the United States.
Ms. Klug has a strong interest in global education systems, focusing her UCF Honors In The Major thesis on factors that affect high and low performing education systems around the world. Last year she spent time volunteering in an city orphanage and indigenous village in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, where she gained passion and drive to ensure all children are given a high quality education.
Outside of school, Ms. Klug loves live music venues, coffee shops, art, volunteering, traveling, and being outdoors. She feels incredibly lucky to be a part of the Nashville and Valor community!
Carlyn Chrislu
Assistant Principal, Culture
Carlyn Chrislu
Assistant Principal, Culture
Ms. Chrislu moved to Nashville 30 years ago from Boston, Massachusetts. Ms.Chrislu graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. Ms.Chrislu worked as the Assistant Director of Fundraising for Big Brother Big Sisters, Nashville for three years. In 2004, Ms.Chrislu and her family moved to Michigan for two years, where Ms.Chrislu was the Development Director for Spectrum; a non-profit helping children and adults with addiction. Ms.Chrislu moved back to Nashville in 2006 and stayed at home to raise her three children. Carlyn has three children, ages 22, 20 and 17. Carlyn will be sending her last child off to college next fall. Becoming an empty nester has led Carlyn to pursue a Master of Education at Lipscomb University, she will finish in May, 2017.
Carlyn’s favorite past times include: spending time with her family, walking her dogs, reading great books and traveling. Carlyn is a devout Michigan football fan….GO Blue!!
Carlyn is excited to be a part of the Valor team, and looks forward to the next year as an apprentice teacher, on the Flagship 6th grade team.
Caroline Martin Campos
7th and 8th Grade Writing
Erica Stewart
7th and 8th Grade Math Content Focus
Grace Finkbeiner
5th and 6th Grade Math Content Focus
Jennie Crum
5th-8th Visual Art
Jennie Crum
5th-8th Visual Art
Originally from a small town in Ohio, Jennie has been living and teaching in Bowling Green, Kentucky for 11 years. Jennie is the third of six children and found her love of teaching art to her talented little brothers and sisters. She is overcome with joy at the opportunity to move to Nashville, and work at Valor!
Jennie is a dedicated art teacher who is excited about the opportunity to learn, grow and lead. This upcoming year will be her 12 year of teaching art. Along with her love of teaching art she also enjoys creating herself! She currently explores watercolor, painting, pottery, sewing, and relish the experience of attending live concerts. She is a graduate from Ohio University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts and Art Education and holds a Masters Degree in Education from the University of the Cumberlands.
Teaching takes passion, and her passion is teaching, particularly art. Jennie is an artist, always exploring new mediums and methods of artistic expression that push the boundaries of her ability. As a teacher, she remains fixed on continual development as a professional educator and development of her students.
Jennie is beyond excited to join the Valor Community and cannot wait to instil the love of the Visual Arts in our scholars!
Meredith Ridgely
6th Grade English Language Arts
Mike Elko
Director of Operations
Mike Elko
Director of Operations
Michael joins the Valor team after working in multiple roles for RePublic Schools including, Assistant Principal of RePublic High School, Director of Extracurricular Activities for all Nashville based RePublic Schools, and Literacy Coordinator at Liberty Collegiate Academy. Prior to working for RePublic Schools, Michael taught 7th grade literacy in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Michael graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Experimental Psychology and Political Science. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys working out and reading in his spare time.
Sarah Leach
Principal
Sarah Leach
Principal
Sarah Leach is an Alabama native who moved to Nashville in 2014 to pursue a career in education. She completed her bachelor’s degrees in English and Communication Studies at The University of Alabama. Upon graduating, Mrs. Leach joined the Teach For America Nashville Corp. She has spent the last three years teaching fifth and sixth grade English Language Arts and has served as the English Language Learners Teacher at a small charter school in south Nashville. Additionally, she completed her Masters of Instructional Practice at Lipscomb University in 2015. Mrs. Leach is excited to be joining the Valor Team this year!
At home, Mrs. Leach enjoys spending time with her husband, Tyler, and their two rescue dogs. They can often be found exploring the nature trails around Nashville, cheering on Alabama Football, or trying a new recipe at home.
Valor | Voyager Team
Alyssa Telang
7th Grade Exceptional Education
Alyssa Telang
7th Grade Exceptional Education
Ms. Telang is a proud Michigan native. She attended the University of Kentucky, where she studied Kinesiology and also played on the women’s soccer team (GO WILDCATS!!) for four years. She then moved to Nashville to be an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at Lipscomb University for two years. Her most recent adventure was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, spending a year overseas in Iceland playing professional soccer. Teach for America has brought her back to Nashville in 2017, and looks forward to joining the Valor Team this year!
Ms. Telang is passionate about mentoring and building fun, trusted relationships. She enjoys spending time with people (over tea, riding bikes, rollerblading, or anything outdoors), reading, or playing sports. Music is her love language; she also loves laughter, pancakes, peanut butter, and a good oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. She’s stoked to join in the joy of being a part of the Valor community!
Amber Whittle
5th-8th Compass
Amber Whittle
5th-8th Compass
Mrs. Buchanan is a native Nashvillian. She earned her Bachelor’s in social welfare and creative writing from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in 2014. While in college, Mrs. Buchanan spent her summers working for a non-profit called Mountain TOP located in Grundy County, Tennessee. She helped develop and run a day camp program for 6-11 year olds in the community which focused on developing perseverance while breaking the cycle of poverty. After graduating, Mrs. Buchanan moved back to Nashville to be an Americorps service member at the Martha O’Bryan Center. She loved the work she did with young people in diverse communities and decided to pursue this passion at Valor in 2015.
Mrs. Buchanan recently attained her Master’s in Elementary Education with an ELL certification at Lipscomb University. When not at Valor, she enjoys hiking with her best friend Ms. Landry, visiting new countries with her husband, and cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers.
Annie Phillips-McConkey
5th Grade Social Studies
Ariana Winton
5th-8th Math EL RTI Instructional Support
Christina Naramore
Assistant Principal, Academics
Emily Peterson
Director of Operations
Emily Peterson
Director of Operations
Ms. Peterson is entering her second year at Valor and is excited to be joining the Voyager team as the Director of Operations. Previously, she was the Operations Coordinator supporting both Valor schools. Ms. Peterson joined Valor Collegiate Academies after spending 2 years as the Central Operations and Data Manager at Match Education in Boston. At Match Education, she supported in-district high school math tutoring programs, including a gold-standard study by the University of Chicago Urban Education Lab on the efficacy of 2:1 tutoring in improving outcomes and reducing violence in at-risk youth. Prior to that, she was a Match Corps Fellow at Match Middle School, where she tutored 6th through 8th graders and supported new school development.
Ms. Peterson graduated from the University of Oregon in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Following graduation, she taught English to small groups of 7th through 12th grade students in rural Spain.
In her free time, Ms. Peterson enjoys traveling and exploring new places, diving into a good book, and riding horses.
Jennifer Alphonsine Haslet-Phillips
School Nurse
Jose Espinoza
7th and 8th Grade Math Content Focus
Katie Bradford
Compass Coach
Katie Bradford
Compass Coach
Katie first discovered the joy of teaching while she was in high school, when she was asked to serve as a tutor in a struggling Algebra 1 class. She loved helping students master something they had previously struggled with. From there she went to Oklahoma Christian University, where she graduated with a B.F.A. in 2007. After her college training, Katie moved to Yichang, China, where she taught English for two years at the China Three Gorges University. Living in China deepened her appreciation for different perspectives and for strong community.
Katie moved back to the U.S. in 2010 to manage a small law firm in Oklahoma City, while she prepared for graduate school. During that time, Katie’s passion for literacy led her to volunteer with the Oklahoma City Literacy Center, helping adults learn to read and write. She then moved to Chicago and earned her M.A. in English from Loyola University Chicago in 2012, where she continued to volunteer, this time with the Loyola Literacy Center. After earning her master’s degree, Katie taught writing and literature courses at both the City Colleges of Chicago and Prairie State College in Chicago. She also worked as a tutor in the college’s writing center. Teaching in Chicago increased Katie’s passion for diversity in education, and her desire to give every student access to outstanding instruction. Katie moved to Nashville in 2014 to teach English at Nashville Prep Charter School in northwest Nashville. She taught 7th grade literacy and global lit to an amazing group of students before joining Valor’s team in 2015.
Aside from her love of literacy, Katie also enjoys running, biking, and mountain-climbing. She reads voraciously in her free time and can’t wait to share many of her favorite books with her students.
Madeline Frohrip
Exceptional Education Life Skills
Meredith Mitchell
8th Grade English Language Arts
Natalie Pendley
Assistant Principal, Culture
Natalie Pendley
Assistant Principal, Culture
Natalie Pendley is a Texas native, who is excited about living in Nashville! She earned her B.S. in Youth and Community Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and has been working at Yes Prep North Central in Houston for the past six years. At North Central over six years, she taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade and served as the Dean of Students for the Middle School for three years.
In her free time, Natalie loves to be outside, and play sports like flag football and basketball. When she is not playing sports, she is probably reading or spending time with her two dogs Molly and Monroe. Ms. Pendley is STOKED about coming to Valor and meeting all of the parents and students! She is also excited about exploring Nashville and would love any recommendations!
Shara Harris
5th and 6th Grade Math Content Focus
Steven Palmer
Principal
Steven Palmer
Principal
A Middle Tennessee native, Mr. Palmer grew up just outside of Nashville in Coopertown, TN. From there, he attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he earned his B.S. in Political Science with a minor in English Literature. While completing his academic work, Mr. Palmer held many leadership roles at UTC including Vice President of the Student Body and two-time Social Issues, Equity, and Diversity Chairperson for the Student Government Association.
After completing university, Mr. Palmer joined the Teach for America Appalachia Corps and was placed at Harlan Independent in Harlan, KY. During his tenure at Harlan Independent, Mr. Palmer taught courses in 8th Grade ELA and Writing, 9th Grade ELA, 11th Grade ACT Prep, and 12th Grade Writing Seminar. As Director of the Harlan High Drama program, Mr. Palmer directed both The Odd Couple and The Mind of Ray Bradbury. Furthermore, he served as both the Harlan Elementary Academic Team Coach and the Harlan High School Assistant Academic Team Coach.
In 2016, he was able to share his experiences of teaching in rural Appalachia back to Chattanooga by being a keynote speaker in the TEDX Chattanooga event. Mr. Palmer’s TEDX speech, entitled “Learning Appalachia: My Time Teaching in Coal Country” detailed the need for the region to invest in retaining the most creative and brightest young minds to spur economic and cultural development.
When not teaching, you can find him drinking way too much coffee with his nose in a book, trying out new restaurants around Nashville, and playing Pokemon GO with his niece.
Sydney Omweg
5th Grade Science
Sydney Omweg
5th Grade Science
Ms. Omweg was born and raised in Yorktown, VA. She was drawn to Nashville in 2012 when she was recruited to play soccer for Belmont University, and soon fell in love with the city. While at Belmont, she obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology, and she obtained a Master of Arts degree in Teaching. This will be Ms. Omweg’s second year at Valor, and she is very excited to return here. Outside of school, Ms. Omweg enjoys coaching soccer, going to country music concerts, and watching football.
Valor | College Prep Team
Amanda Modloff
Postsecondary Success Teacher & Counselor amodloff@valorcollegiate.org
Amber Conway
Manager of Inspired, Purposeful Lives & Postsecondary Success Counselor aconway@valorcollegiate.org
Andre Williams
Lower School Assistant Principal, Culture
Anthony Benvenuto
9th Grade Exceptional Education
Beatriz Prestes-Gonzalez
Office & Operations Coordinator
Brynna Shepard
Exceptional Education Life Skills
Callie Atkins
Exceptional Education Case Manager
CeCe Holloway
Upper School Assistant Principal, Academics
Elizabeth Ponce
Spanish III & AP Spanish
Elizabeth Ponce
Spanish III & AP Spanish
Ms. Ponce is originally from New Orleans, La. She lived in Ecuador, for her middle school and high school years. This experience of growing up in her father’s home country, shaped her into the person she is today. She earned her undergraduate degree in Studio Art from Georgia State University, and earned her Master of Science in Education from Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Ponce taught Spanish at Grassland Middle School in Williamson County, for 6 years. She also produced the daily morning announcements broadcast for 4 years. She was also the set director for the school play, for 5 years in a row.
In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, painting, photography, reading, and cooking. She loves spending time with family and friends. Ms Ponce is very excited to join the Valor Collegiate Academy team in the 2017-2018 school year!
Ellie Aldrich
Visual Art I & Advanced Visual Art
Jeremy Summitt
AP Research
Jeremy Summitt
AP Research
Born and raised in a small, rural town in southeast Michigan, Jeremy grew up a lover of music, sports, and literature. Those interests took him through high school and onto college where he earned a B.A. in English and Film from the University of Michigan. Shortly thereafter, Jeremy moved from Ann Arbor, MI to Nashville after joining Teach For America in the summer of 2015. The past two years, he has spent ample time teaching literacy at Rocketship, an elementary school in East Nashville. When he isn’t doing novel studies and digging into books with kids in the classroom, he’s reading somewhere in a hammock or catching one of his favorite bands somewhere within driving distance of his home.
On fall Saturdays, Jeremy can always be caught watching Michigan football and singing the best college fight song in the nation. During winter months, he stays glued to the TV whenever the Detroit Red Wings take the ice. While music, sports, and literature have remained constant passions over the years, Jeremy’s energy and motivation is rooted deeply in education and the kids that walk into his classroom every day. He is looking forward to meeting the Valor scholars and their families as we work together to realize how literature can push us to make positive change in our lives and our communities.
Jordan Runions
Postsecondary Success Teacher & Counselor jrunions@valorcollegiate.org
Kaleigh McRoberts
Upper School Assistant Principal, Academics
Kim Worley
Paraprofessional
Kim Worley
Paraprofessional
Mrs. Worley is a native of Nashville, Tn. Graduated from Antioch High School in 1988. Worked in the Metro School System for 10 years as a paraprofessional and 10 years as a private ABA therapist. She is very passionate about special needs children and helping them reach their fullest potential.
In her free time she loves spending time gardening, grilling out, spending time with her husband of 28 years, 3 children, 5 grandchildren and friends.
LaToya Lewis
Lower School Assistant Principal, Academics
Mike Brown
Postsecondary Success Teacher & Counselor mbrown@valorcollegiate.org
Nicole Koutsunis
Director of Postsecondary Success nkoutsunis@valorcollegiate.org
Troy Rexilius
Visual Art 1 and Advanced Visual Art
Vincent Alexander
Upper School Assistant Principal, Culture
Wyatt May
Lower School Assistant Principal, Academics
Valor | Network Team
Alesha Harmon
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Alesha Harmon
Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Alesha is the mother of Michael Jeremiah, a young man of Valor Flagship, and Ava Marie, a vivacious two-year-old. Although both of her children have been born and raised in Nashville, Alesha is originally from Chicago, IL. She moved to Antioch, TN as a high school junior and is a graduate of Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Alesha received her Bachelors of Journalism from the University of Missouri- Columbia. She went on to obtain her M.Ed in Instructional Practice as well as her Educational Specialist degree from Lipscomb University. Over the past 6 years, Alesha has had the pleasure of teaching 6th and 7th-grade students as well as coaching teachers leading 2nd-11th grade STEM classrooms.
In addition to her passion for education, she has a heart for the arts. She has been involved in dozens of musical theater productions across the country, teaches Zumba classes, and is a former cheerleading coach (hoping to dust off her pom poms in the near future). She enjoys merging her passions, so you are likely to hear our students singing and chanting about the rules of adding/subtracting positive and negative numbers.
Brittany Johnk
Director of Data & Strategy Analytics
Dameneke Charles
Enrollment & Outreach Coordinator
Daren Dickson
Chief Culture Officer
Daren Dickson
Chief Culture Officer
Mr. Dickson joins Valor after spending 16 years developing his skills as a therapist, social worker, clinical and program director, and social justice advocate. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has spent much of his career working with vulnerable youth and communities through Seneca Center, a non-profit agency in the Bay Area, California. At Seneca, Mr. Dickson helped to envision, build, and implement a range of programs, including schools, aimed at empowering youth, families, and communities to create more satisfying lives for themselves.
Mr. Dickson has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (Denver University and Stanford University) and a Master’s degree in Integral Counseling (California Institute of Integral Studies). Having studied traditionally left-brain and right-brain disciplines, he finds great value in striking a balance between them and in helping young people develop this capacity in their own lives.
In his free time, he likes to revel in his twin three-year-olds who remind him to be present, wild, and embodied. He also loves spending time with his wife, Lauren, who is his rock and partner in social work, and with his dog, Jetsan, who reminds him daily what it means to give goodwill freely to the world. He’s also Founder and CEO Todd Dickson’s identical twin brother and plans to have fun confusing everyone.
Grace Campbell
Director of High School Exceptional Education
Heather Dickson
Enrollment & Outreach Coordinator
Ja’Mille Donaldson
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Jamie Gutter
Managing Director of Schools
Jamie Gutter
Managing Director of Schools
Mr. Gutter currently serves as principal at Valor Flagship Academy. Part of the founding team, Mr. Gutter previously taught math for two years, led the math department, and served as assistant principal. Prior to joining the team at Valor, Mr. Gutter worked at Glenview Elementary School, where he first became passionate about helping a diverse community of learners to reach their full potential through hard work and collaboration. Mr. Gutter began his career in education as a Teach For America corps member. Originally hailing from the Tar Heel state, Mr. Gutter has a bachelor of arts in economics and public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in education from Lipscomb University. In his spare time, you can find Mr. Gutter playing basketball at the YMCA, reading non-fiction books about history and politics, or spending quality time with his wife.
Jordan Tate
Network Office & Operations Coordinator
Kait Troy
Managing Director of Sharing and Learning
Kendra Stein
Director of Leadership Development
Kendra Stein
Director of Leadership Development
Ms. Shirey was born and raised in Sparta, MI. She attended Michigan State University, where she double majored in Arts & Humanities and Professional Writing and spent time volunteering with organizations dedicated to underserved students. After graduation, Ms. Shirey moved to Nashville as a 2012 Nashville Teach for America corps member and spent two years teaching 5th grade ELA and Social Studies while also earning her Master’s in Education from Lipscomb University. Ms. Shirey continued teaching middle school English for an additional two years and developed leadership and coaching skills through her role as a grade team leader. Ms. Shirey’s passions for creating positive classroom cultures and supporting all scholars to meet high expectations led her to the Compass Coach role at Valor in 2016. She is honored to serve the Voyager community as an Assistant Principal this year, and looks forward to the many memories and moments of joy to come!
Kylea Weir
Compass Counselor
Kylea Weir
Compass Counselor
Kylea moved from California to Nashville in July of 2015. Days after her move, she joined the Voyager team as they prepared for their founding year. Kylea came to Voyager with 6 years of behavioral support experience, working for a mental health agency as a behavior counselor for at-risk youth. She graduated in 2014 from Pepperdine University with a Master’s in Psychology. Kylea just got married this past May and is super excited to start her 3rd year at Voyager as Mrs. Weir (formerly Ms. H
Michelle Bancroft
Director of Middle School Exceptional Education
Rebecca White
Compass Counselor & Lead School Psychologist
Rebecca White
Compass Counselor & Lead School Psychologist
Born in California and raised in Texas, Rebecca attended Texas A&M University for her undergraduate education, majoring in Psychology. She did her graduate work at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas for her Masters in School Psychology.
Rebecca has worked in both the Houston and San Antonio areas as a school psychologist, and moved to Tennessee in 2008. In her time in Tennessee, Rebecca has served as school psychologist for Franklin Special School District and several charter schools in the greater Nashville area. Additionally, Rebecca is a registered yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance (RYT-200) and has been teaching over 8 years.
Over her years in the school system, Rebecca continued to see increased need for enhanced social-emotional supports for students. Drawing upon her experience and expertise, she developed a thoughtful approach to providing counseling services to students in the school setting. Integrating elements of yoga and mindfulness with both creative and traditional therapeutic approaches, she delights in leading individual and group sessions tailored to individualized student needs.
In her free time, Rebecca enjoys spending time with family, practicing and teaching yoga, cooking, being outdoors, and painting. She is thrilled to be a part of the Valor team, and excited for the upcoming school year!
Richard Blakey
Head Custodian & School Facilities Manager
Ryane Reandeau
Associate Director of Operations, Powered by Compass
Sahara Evans
Director of Compass Care Team
Sahara Evans
Director of Compass Care Team
Sahara Evans is a native of Pittsburgh, PA., and has lived in Nashville since 2000. Her appreciation for numerous cultural backgrounds and her focus on community collaboration has led her to study abroad in Egypt and Spain, as well as a number of volunteer opportunities. Sahara is a strong advocate of hands-on, inquiry-based learning. She involves youth in a variety of community service, and problem-solving infused activities that provide them with opportunities to use their strengths to help others. Since 2002 Sahara has spent many years working in the nonprofit sector. She also worked at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, where she received the Strong Woman award. Sahara enjoys traveling with her family, reading and spending time with her French Bulldog who has been described as a “lazy diva”. Sahara received both her Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degree from Tennessee State University, in the field(s) of Speech Pathology and Audiology, and Public Administration
Sara Carlson Striegel
Director of Leadership Development
Shaymora Blanks
Director of Leadership Development
Taryn Sprayberry
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Powered by Compass
Thomas Branch
Chief Operating Officer
Thomas Branch
Chief Operating Officer
Thomas recently joined the Valor after serving for 7+ years in several financial and operational roles at KIPP Nashville. Thomas has been responsible for facilities management, human resources, transportation, food services, and technology support. Thomas helped to lay the operational foundation for the growth strategy the school is currently implementing. Prior to his time at KIPP Nashville, Thomas served as a highly successful Vice President and Financial Center Manager at Wells Fargo Bank. Thomas has nearly over eight years of experience in the banking industry, and he holds a degree in Finance and Economics from The Florida State University.
Thomas is a Florida State Football alum and college football fanatic. In his free-time you can find him hosting large BBQ events, and attending FSU football games in the fall. His role at Valor is Chief Operating Officer, and he will lead the operational strategy and policy work for both all Valor schools. His interests include college football, music, and learning golf.
Todd Dickson
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Todd Dickson
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Dickson came to the field of education as a second career in 2000 after successfully building the Melton Group, a residential real estate company in Colorado, from 1995-2000. After attending Stanford for a Master’s degree in education, he taught physics for five years at the nationally acclaimed public Hillsdale High School, the private International School of Lisbon, and Summit Preparatory Charter School (Summit Prep) before taking the role of Executive Director at Summit Prep. Under his leadership, Summit Prep was named the #118 best public high school in America for the first time in 2008, and the #76 best public high school in 2009. In 2010, Summit Prep was named one of the top 10 Transformational Schools in the country by Newsweek (using comparative graduation rates, SAT scores, AP performance, and number of low-income students).
Mr. Dickson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Denver where he was named the Colorado Engineering Student of the Year amongst all Colorado colleges. He was also was an All-American lacrosse player and team captain. In addition, he holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. When not thinking about how to transform public education, Mr. Dickson enjoys spending time with his wife of 14 years and their three young children. He also enjoys running, surfing, and watching all things Colorado sports.
Travis Commons
Managing Director of Sharing and Learning
Travis Commons
Managing Director of Sharing and Learning
Dr. Commons began his lifelong career of working with and for children as a Child Care Specialist in his home state of Indiana. Humbled by this important, but under-appreciated work, he began to explore the ways in which children learn, grow, and are often misunderstood. After his teacher training at Ball State University Teachers College, he worked as an elementary school teacher and then migrated from his Indiana roots to Chicago to take on the challenge of clinical special education in an urban hospital setting. His deep work with children and their families piqued his curiosity about how to prepare teachers to be influential in the lives of their students, and he left the classroom to pursue academia. While acquiring his Ph.D. at UIC, he had the opportunity to coordinate an alternative certification program for urban special education teachers in Chicago and to teach as part of the College of Education faculty. This work provided Dr. Commons with a valuable perspective on the complexity of the teaching profession and inspired him to return to the classroom and teach in the charter schools in Chicago.
As Dean of Scholars at Rowe Elementary, Dr. Commons revamped and oversaw the implementation of the scholar culture program at the school, creating significant measurable improvements in the school’s climate. As he transitioned to Assistant Principal at Rowe, his leadership work was recognized by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, who recognized him as the state’s Charter Innovator of the Year in 2012.
Dr. Commons has been honored and privileged to be a part of the founding team at Valor. Outside of Valor, he loves all things culinary (especially the eating part!), reading a great piece of fiction, and playing with his Great Dane, Wyatt.