Special Education

District Special Education Partner

Jenny Pilger
[email protected]

Jenny Pilger is very excited to join the Governor’s Ranch Elementary community as the assistant director of special education. Over the past 19 years, Jenny has served as a learning specialist, SSN teacher, special education coordinator and director in Sheridan School District. She strongly believes in collaborating with educators, parents, and administrators to build structures and supports for student success. Jenny lives in Roxborough with her family. She has been married for 15 years and is a mother of three children who are in tenth, eighth, and third grade. She loves to spend time with her family and can be found at the soccer fields in her spare time.

Learning Specialists

Mental Health

Occupational Therapist

Physical Therapist

Speech/Language

SSN

Learning Specialists

	Lori Spindler [email protected] Lori Spindler is very excited to join the Governor’s Ranch Elementary community as the full time Learning Specialist. Previously, she has worked at Governor’s Ranch for the past 2 years as a .5 Learning Specialist, splitting time between 2 schools. She started her career in special education in Nebraska where she taught for 2 years before moving back to Colorado. In Colorado, taught Severe Special Needs students for 2 years, and has worked with students in elementary and middle school. Her biggest goal in working with students and families is strong communication and prefers a ‘team approach’ to supporting students. She has a strong desire to help students succeed in school both academically and socially. Lori is a mother of 4 children, all busy doing their own things. One daughter graduated from CU this year, another daughter is ready to graduate from KU in December, another daughter and son are ready to graduate from CSU and CU in a year. She loves to spend time with her family and all the craziness that a big family brings!

	Emily Whaley [email protected] Emily Whaley joins us for the 23-24 school year as our second full-time Learning Specialist. Over the past year, she has been working at GRE as a Guest Teacher and Special Education Para. Emily has 8 years of special education teaching experience with Denver Public Schools. She has one daughter and two sons, all of which are current and former GRE students. Emily is a 4th generation Colorado native, a CSU graduate, and married to her high-school sweetheart. She is thrilled to be able to both live and work in a community that she adores.

	Laura Johnson [email protected] Laura Johnson is excited to be joining the Governor's Ranch community as a Learning Specialist. Before joining GRE, Laura was the Primary teacher in the AN Center at Colorow Elementary, working with students aged K-6 with varying academic, social, and emotional needs. This year she hopes to have a positive impact on students across all aspects of their academic experience. She hopes to open consistent lines of communication with families so that they can work together as a team to see students succeed! Laura is married to her husband Greg, and they have a dog named Harlem and a cat named Simba. They are also expecting their first child in September 2023! Having gone to Governor's Ranch herself, Laura cannot wait to again be a part of, and give back to, the wonderful community of GRE.

	Angela Shamis Angela Shamis began working here at GRE in September of 2004 when her son Travis started Kindergarten. Although at the time she didn’t have experience working with kids (other than her own), she immediately learned that it was something she was passionate about and almost 14 years later she is still loving getting up and going to work every day! Her current position is the Special Education Building Support Paraprofessional, and her primary job is to work with small groups of students needing extra academic support, and at times working with students one-on-one. She has been married to her husband Mark for 22 years and when they are not working they enjoy spending time with family and friends going camping and taking beach vacations. She has two children Lindsay and Travis, both of whom attended GRE, and two furry friends Dusty and Niko.
	Veronica Moritz Veronica Moritz has lived in Colorado her whole life. She graduated from CSU with a bachelor's degree. All of her children attended Governor's Ranch Elementary and she started working here while her daughter was in 4th grade in the fall or 2022. Veronica has a strong connection with Littleton and the Governor's Ranch community. Working with children has brought a new joy to Veronica’s life and she is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Governor's Ranch Elementary team.

	Yuki Dutcher - Individual Support Paraeducator Lula “Yuki” Dutcher is excited about being at Governor’s Ranch Elementary School. She has worked for Jeffco Public Schools for ten years. She has been an Independence Support Paraeducator for the past seven years. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree and licensure in special education. She values that children are the next generation and deserve the best. Outside of work, She volunteers helping the Bear Creek High Marching Band to support her teenager. She and her husband also volunteer as children's ministry directors. She enjoys working with children, it is her passion!
	Amber Valentine - Individual Support Paraeducator Amber is joining us this year as a para. She has worked with differently abled children since she was a teen. Recently she was a nanny for several families in her area. Amber has lived in Colorado for most of her life growing up in Evergreen and then moving to Bailey. Amber has three children one in middle school one in high school and one who just left for college. Amber loves playing board games and going to escape rooms with her kids.
	Lee Gonzalez This is Ms. Gonzalez first experience working in education, and she's thrilled to join the GRE team! She moved to Lakewood, CO from Eureka, CA in September 2022 with her mother, Amy, and their dog, Katana. She's been able to explore the Denver area by doing security for an entertainment company at a lot of the big venues here like Empower Field, Denver's Art Complex, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Fiddler's Green, and Ball Arena. Ms. Gonzalez is also a dog walker and sitter. On her free time she likes to spend quality time with the people she loves and cares about, play guitar, read, skate, bike, yoga, and take naps.

Mental Health Providers

	Michelle Myers, Social Emotional Learning Specialist (SELs) [email protected] Visit Mrs. Myer's Web site: https://sites.google.com/jeffcoschools.us/gre-sel-website/home Michelle Myers has lived in Littleton since 1999. She has previously worked for the Jeffco Schools Medicaid Program, and as a School Social Worker in Jeffco. Most recently, she has been a substitute Social Worker, and has been substitute teaching at GRE for the past year or so. She spent several years in between her experiences staying home with her three kids. She’s very excited to increase her professional role at GRE. In her free time, she loves to get outdoors with her three kids, husband, and dog. She especially enjoys mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, hiking/walking the dog, camping, and fishing. Generally Mrs. Myers works Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

	Kirsten Rueschhoff, School Psychologist [email protected] Kirsten Rueschhoff is so excited to be a part of the Governor’s Ranch Elementary community! This will be her first year at Governor’s Ranch as a part time Special Education Mental Health Provider. Kirsten moved to Colorado from near Pittsburgh, PA (GO ALL THINGS PITTSBURGH) 10 years ago where she worked as a social worker in a residential treatment center. When she moved to Colorado she worked as a Para-Educator in a ASD program in Jeffco Public Schools where she decided she wanted to be a School Social Worker. Kirsten received her Master’s in Social Work at MSU and has worked the past three years at Molholm Elementary. Kirsten enjoys building connections and helping students see their worth. Kirsten enjoys being outside, skiing, mountain biking and adventuring with her husband and three small children. Generally Mrs.Rueshhoff works Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Occupational Therapist

Clare Bixler
[email protected]

Clare Bixler is excited to be joining the Governor's Ranch community! Clare graduated from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2014. She has been a school-based practitioner in a rural mountain area since this time and loves working in the school setting. Clare also sees clients in pediatric home health and is so happy to be in the pediatric/school world because she gets to focus on one of the best occupations--play!  In her spare time, Clare enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, son, and dog. She loves taking pottery classes, practicing yoga, and sitting outside reading on a summer evening.

Physical Therapist

Darla Davis
[email protected]

Darla Davis is the Physical Therapist for all Columbine, Bear Creek High and Dakota Ridge articulation schools. She support students with physical impairments that may have difficulty accessing the school environment. Darla has been a PT since 1984 and have spent most of her career serving students in schools both here and in Arizona. She has worked for Jefferson County Public Schools since 2016. Darla is married and have together they have two adult daughters.

Speech/Language Pathologist

Christina Brittain
[email protected]

Christina Brittain is so excited to be joining the Governor's Ranch Elementary team this school year as a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Christina joins us from Aurora Public Schools where she spent seven years as a PK-5th grade SLP at Laredo Elementary School. Christina graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas with her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Christina enjoys spending time with her husband Blake, their cattle dog Hadlee, and lots of family and friends near and far. She loves to travel and adventure outdoors - hiking, snowboarding, camping. Christina loves working with children. She knows each child is very special and has a lot to share with the world!

SSN Teachers

	Sarah Ladd - SSN Teacher [email protected] Sarah Ladd will be joining the team at Governors Ranch Elementary as an SSN Teacher. She is from Michigan where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in elementary and special education at Wayne State University in Detroit. She began her teaching work in Michigan as a special education teacher specializing in ASD and inclusion work with elementary age students. She moved to Colorado in 2015 and started work for Jeffco Schools at Fletcher Miller as a secondary teacher. More recently she worked at Elk Creek Elementry as a learning specialist and taught 1st grade. Besides teaching, she enjoys yoga and completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training last summer. Through this training, she also worked to complete an SEL certification designed for teachers and school communities. She has a 3-year-old son named Rex and loves living in the mountains.

	Michelle Dobbs SSN Para Educator Michelle Dobbs is a Deaf/Blind Intervener at Governors Ranch. Michelle was born and raised on the Western Slope and moved to Eastern Colorado in 1998. Her background is Sales and Marketing and she enjoyed that career for 15 years. She has been with Jeffco for 7 years. She is married to Tim and they have a son, Devin. Michelle enjoys camping and hiking with her family, upcycling and crafting.

	Traci Patino SSN Para Educator Traci Patino is very excited to join the Governor’s Ranch Elementary team as an ISP Paraprofessional within the SSN program. Traci graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Elementary Education. She has been a stay at home mom for the last 22 years and a nanny for another GRE family for almost ten years. Traci and her husband have been married for 21 years and have 3 children, Kaylee, Tanner and Brady who are her world. In her free time, she loves spending time with family, being outdoors and trying new things.

	Janna Twedell SSN Para Educator Mrs. Twedell has had children at GRE since 2015 and is excited to be joining the amazing GRE team as a Para this year. Her daughter Taelyn is in sixth grade and her boys Teagon and Titus are in fifth and third grade. She is a Colorado native, born in Denver. Her husband Jeremy and her will be celebrating 20 years being married this school year. In her spare time, Mrs. Twedell enjoys making music, sports, volunteering, cooking and eating, wellness, gardening, all things outdoors, and photography.

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Special Education