Board President

Jay Grob

June 2021-June 2025

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.

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Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair & Advancement Committee Member

Greg Phillips

September 2022-September 2025

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.

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Board Vice President; School Excellence Committee Chair

Michelle Bonanno

October 2021-October 2027

Michelle joined the Board in 2021 excited to represent AHS families 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, AHS class of 2025 and Mia, AHS class of 2028. As a family, they love to camp (especially in San Diego), boat (especially at Lake Powell), and cross-country ski (especially at Vallecito).

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Board Member & Advancement Committee Chair

Maren Bicknell

August 2023-August 2026

Maren Bicknell joined the AHS Board in 2023 and she brings to the Board decades of educational experience. Early in her career she served students as a certified athletic trainer, high school health and anatomy and physiology teacher, and a college wellness educator. She transitioned into school administration serving many years as Director of Finance and Operations of a K-12 independent school in New Hampshire. Currently, she is applying her skills and knowledge in finance, fundraising, human resource, and tax compliance for Little Green Light, a computer software company that serves non-profits.

Maren and her husband moved to Durango from New Hampshire in 2020 for the educational opportunities offered to their children. Maren believes strongly in educational choice and is impressed with the educational opportunities available to students in Durango. Serving on AHS’s Board of Directors allows Maren to not only share her knowledge and experience in public and private school but also directly support what she believes in. Maren’s daughter Hayden is in the class of 2025 at AHS.

Maren earned a BS in Sports Medicine from Marietta College and MBA in Leadership from Franklin Pierce University.

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Board Member

Julie Kremer

July 2024-July 2027

Julie joined the Board in 2024 after more than 25 years of corporate leadership and management experience. Having broad experience in the corporate world and with companies focused on innovation, Julie hopes to bring unique insights to the AHS community to ensure that all students at AHS receive a high quality education that prepares them for success after
high school. Julie holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Denver. Since moving to Durango in 2019, Julie and her family (including her son Jake, AHS class of 2026) enjoy mountain biking, camping, rafting and Nordic skiing.

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