Mission
The AHS Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that the school is fulfilling its mission and vision, supporting and evaluating the Head of School, monitoring and strengthening the school’s programs and services, providing financial oversight, ensuring legal and ethical integrity of the organization and enhancing the school’s public standing. Board Meetings are open to the public.

Board of Directors Policy Manual Download

In addition to Board of Directors, the following school community members regularly attend Board Meetings:

Rebecca Ruland – Head of School
Libby Cowles – Dean of Enrollment and Community Outreach
Christine Imming – Director of Operations
Lori Fisher – Teacher Representative
Dave Farkas – Dean of Students and Culture

Meets monthly (see schedule here)

Board email: [email protected]

Board Profiles

*click on profile pictures to read a short bio about each member

JEFF KING
Board President

Jeff King - Board President

Jeff comes to AHS with experiences as varied as R&D chemistry and construction. With a BS in Chemical Oceanography from Florida Institute of Technology, an MBA from the University of San Diego and experience at major pharmaceuticals companies, he met his match as a stay at home parent and really went out on a limb by homeschooling his two sons for a year. Since 2013 he has been focused on construction and remodeling projects for Axis Health System in Southwest Colorado.

The core value of not just what you learn but how you learn it is what makes Animas High so attractive to many parents which is what the King family weighed heavily when evaluating high school options. Key pieces of the Animas philosophy around advocating for yourself and working on teams that allow for divergent thinking with the need to converge for a finished result will serve Animas High School students beyond the educational environment.

THOMAS MORRISEY
Vice President & Governance Committee Chair

Thomas Morrisey - Vice President and Governance Committee Chair

Thomas is Vice President of the Board for Animas High School. Previously he served as President for 2.5 years. “T-mo” is currently on his 3^rd retirement after over 35 years in the computer industry (IT, Business Operations), including 13 years at Microsoft in their corporate headquarters in Redmond, WA. He earned a Masters of Science in Statistical quality Control from Eastern Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Wayne State University. Thomas has lived in Durango full time since 2007.

T-mo has traveled extensively around the country and the world: 48 states (lived in 6), and 15 countries for both work and play. He was a whitewater raft guide in Aspen and Glacier Park for 4 years, a Volunteer Fireman (EMT) in WA State, and Ski Patrol in Vancouver, BC.

“These are both exciting and challenging times for AHS and our Board as we begin building our new school up on the campus of Ft. Lewis College. I look forward to engaging with our community on this very significant project.”

“A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions.”–Anonymous

GREG PHILLIPS
Finance Committee Chair

Greg Phillips -Finance Committee Chair

Greg Phillips joined the AHS Board in 2022. He earned a BA in Human Biology from the University of California, San Diego and a MS in Exercise Physiology from the University of Washington.

Greg began his career in education, teaching and lecturing in chemistry, physiology and nutrition. In 1988, he and his wife, Jan, founded a publishing company in San Diego that created and licensed healthy lifestyle/health promotion programs and materials to over 5,000 hospitals, insurance companies, corporate wellness programs and health clubs worldwide. He moved the growing business, together with his growing family, to Durango in 1990.

In the later stage of his career, Greg built a successful business consulting firm providing strategic planning, sales and marketing services and Web software development to businesses and nonprofits throughout the US. He sold the business in 2019 and is now enjoying retirement.

Greg believes that together with parents, Durango’s schools can best prepare students to make a difference by fostering a love of learning, developing the ability to both think creatively and analytically, stimulating curiosity, expanding self-awareness and empathy, and promoting the importance of collaboration and communication.

JESSE HUTT
Board Secretary

Jesse Hutt - Board Secretary

Jesse Hutt is a pediatric oncologist and founding parent at Animas High School. The vision to create Animas High School developed during her years working as a general pediatrician in Durango. At that time, she saw many teenagers who were apathetic or dissatisfied with the traditional school model. Along with other founders she drafted a charter to start a school that modeled High Tech High in San Diego– a school that used Project Based Learning to engage students to become passionate lifelong learners while preparing them for college and post secondary success.

One of her greatest joys has been to watch both of her children attend Animas High School and engage in their education. While they are very different learners, they were both able to discover their passions and become strong advocates for their education. Elliott recently completed a B.S. in Physics Engineering at the University of Colorado, and Avra will be completing a degree in Computer Science at the University of Colorado.

Jesse has a B.A. in Biology from Brown University, and M.D. degree from the University of Florida, and completed residency training at the University of Utah and Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic. She specializes in caring for children with cancer and blood related diseases at Southwest Oncology.

Jesse brings the founder voice and parent voice to the board of directors, and believes that we all can reach the common goal of providing the best education possible for our children. Jesse can be seen just about anywhere with her Diabetic Alert Dog, Cody who also serves as a Therapy Dog for her patients.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela

CARA KROPP
Board Member & School Excellence Chair

Cara Kropp - School Excellence Chair

Cara Kropp comes to the AHS Board with an educational background as a special education teacher who has worked at Mountain Middle School and Durango High School. In addition, Cara is a familiar face to many due to her bike coaching through Durango Devo. She holds a Masters in Education (M.Ed) and Colorado Department of Education special education and principal licenses. She is currently finishing up an Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in School Psychology and will be working as a School Psychologist Intern for San Juan BOCES in fall 2021. Cara has been interested in charter schools of choice since 2011, when she obtained a position at AHS as an Academic Coach. While at AHS, Cara got the opportunity to work with both students and faculty in the development of many foundational aspects of the school.

JAY GROB
Board Member

Jay Grob - Board Of Directors

Jay Grob joined the Animas High School Board of Directors in 2021. He is the father of two former charter school students who brings substantial charter school board experience to AHS. For 8 years he served as Vice President of the Board of Directors at Uplift North Hills Preparatory, a K-12 International Baccalaureate World School with 1300 students in Irving, Texas. Its high school consistently ranks among the top public high schools in the country. Jay’s time at North Hills included focus on the school’s strategic planning, fundraising and teacher retention efforts. He supported campus facility planning as well as new primary school building construction, a high school science lab and a multi-purpose meeting/gymnasium.

Professionally Jay manages Grob Management Partners, a boutique strategy consulting firm that assists boards and executive management teams on a variety of topics. He also spent 20 years at global consulting firm Bain & Company, where he was a senior partner. He graduated from Rice University in Houston, Texas.

MICHELLE BONNANO
Board Member

Michelle Bonanno - Board Of Directors

Michelle joined the Board in 2021 excited to represent AHS families (her son is currently a student at AHS) and strengthen connections between AHS and Fort Lewis College. Michelle teaches in the English Department at Fort Lewis and is the Director of the Academic Hub and First-Year Experience. Michelle is a first-generation college student and graduated from FLC with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Communications in 2001. She then attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she earned a Master of Arts in Communication in 2004. As a student at FLC, Michelle met her future husband, Anthony, and they are now raising their two children, AJ and Mia. As a family, they love to camp (especially in San Diego), boat (especially at Lake Powell), and cross-country ski (especially at Vallecito).