Cabinet Leadership

Cabinet Leadership

Superintendent Cabinet Group Photo 

The superintendent relies on a team of district leaders known as her Cabinet to discuss and advise action on critical issues facing the school district, and to engage the community in school district initiatives.






Superintendent

Erin Kane, Superintendent
[email protected] | 303-387-0123

Erin Kane serves as Superintendent of the Douglas County School District.

For the first 10 years of her adult life, Ms. Kane worked in the software industry (data science) in development and management. When her children were very young, she left her full-time job to stay home, and during that time, driven by a passion for STEM (which wasn’t even an acronym yet) education in the early grades, she helped start a Douglas County public charter school, American Academy. That choice completely changed the course of her career and ignited in her a passion for education. She served as the Executive Director of American Academy for many years, ultimately growing it to serve almost 3,000 students across three campuses in preschool through eighth grade. She also had the great pleasure of serving as Interim Superintendent for the Douglas County School District from 2016 - 2018. Ms. Kane states that these experiences have made her a fierce advocate for our kids, our wonderful school district, and ALL of our awesome public schools.

Mrs. Kane and her husband are Colorado natives. They have lived in Douglas County for over 22 years and raised their three children, now all college-aged, in our community. She holds a master’s degree in public administration, along with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and computer science, from the University of Colorado.

 

Chief of Staff

Photo of Steve Colella, Chief of Staff

Steve Colella, Chief of Staff 
[email protected] | 303-387-0057

Steve Colella serves as Chief of Staff for the Douglas County School District. 

Borne of his own school experience, Steve has a passion for education. Steve started his career as a social studies teacher and basketball/football coach before going to law school and becoming a civil litigation attorney. Upon moving to Colorado in 2011, Steve combined these experiences in his role as Executive Director of Employee Relations with the Cherry Creek School District through 2017.

Steve has been part of the DCSD family since 2017. He served as CHRO and Acting General Counsel for the district and then as Deputy Executive Director of Schools and then Executive Director of Schools for American Academy. Steve is a licensed attorney in Colorado and California. 

Steve and his wife Alyson have three children all of whom are Colorado natives and attend school within DCSD. 

 

Deputy Superintendent

Danelle Hiatt, Deputy Superintendent

Danelle Hiatt, Deputy Superintendent
[email protected] | 303-387-0055


Danelle Hiatt serves as Deputy Superintendent and oversees many DCSD departments including Special Education, Early Childhood EducationEnglish Language Development and EquityAdvanced Academics/Gifted & Talented, Mental Health, Health, Wellness and Prevention, Safety and Security, and The Foundation for Douglas County Schools.

Danelle has been part of the DCSD family since 1997. She has served as an educational assistant, special education teacher, intervention coordinator, assistant principal at Cresthill Middle School, principal at Pine Lane Elementary School, Elementary Director of Schools, and most recently as an Executive Director of Schools in DCSD. She has advanced experience developing, monitoring, and evaluating K-12 curriculum, instruction and assessment practices, along with overseeing PK-12 feeder schools. She knows how to support diverse school communities and advocate for the needs of every student. Danelle has a Colorado Administrator/Superintendent License and a Masters of Arts in Special Education.


Assistant Superintendent

Danny Winsor, Executive Director of Schools

Danny Winsor
Assistant Superintendent 
[email protected] | 303-387-9655

Danny Winsor serves as the Assistant Superintendent and oversees many DCSD departments including School Leadership, Pathways/Postsecondary Readiness, Choice Programming, Student Assistance, and Activities and Athletics. Danny previously held the roles of Executive Director of Schools, Director of Choice Programming, high school and middle school principal, assistant principal, school counselor, teacher, and coach. Danny, a 20-year educator, has been part of the DCSD family for 13 years, and was named DCSD Administrator of the Year at the 2018 Apple Awards. He is a proud DCSD parent and resident and Colorado native.
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Cabinet Officers

Mark Blair, Chief Technology Officer

Mark Blair, Chief Technology Officer
[email protected] | 720-433-1006


Mark Blair oversees the DCSD Information Technology Department. He is a dedicated technology executive with proven expertise, both technical and educational. He has spent his entire career here in DCSD, first joining the school district nearly three decades ago as a technology teacher. Since that time, he has held various roles in the DCSD Information Technology Department, most recently as the Director of School Technology.
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Richard Cosgrove

Richard D. Cosgrove, P.E., Chief Operations Officer
[email protected] | 303-387-0018


Richard Cosgrove, P.E., oversees the DCSD Operations & Maintenance, Transportation, and Planning & Construction departments. He has over 40 years of experience dedicated to public service, 20 of which have been for two of the three largest school districts in Colorado. Prior to becoming COO, Richard served as DCSD’s Planning and Construction Director. He has also served as DCSD’s Construction Director and as Director of Construction for Denver Public Schools.
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Mary Klimesh

Mary Kay Klimesh, General Counsel
[email protected] | 303-387-0198

Mary Kay Klimesh oversees the DCSD Legal Services Department. Mary Kay is an accomplished and highly skilled counselor and advocate with nearly three decades of experience representing PreK-12 schools. Mary has experience addressing board governance and policy development, personnel matters, special education and other student-related matters, risk management, contract negotiation and review, as well as intergovernmental, affiliation, and interinstitutional agreements.
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Jana headshotJana Schleusner, CPA, Chief Financial Officer
[email protected] | 720-433-1101

Jana Schleusner oversees DCSD's Business Services Department, as well as DCSD's Before and After School Enterprise (BASE) and Nutrition Services.   

Prior to joining DCSD, Jana held positions in the public accounting world and had over 12 years of experience as an audit manager servicing not-for-profit, employee benefit, and governmental organizations. She has extensive knowledge in researching and resolving complex, specialized accounting and technical issues, as well as internal controls, understanding of business, organizational matters, and executive management background. Jana has held a Certified Public Accountant license since 1997. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Colorado State University.


Rader Headshot

Stacy Rader, Communications Officer
[email protected] | 303-387-0128


Stacy Rader oversees DCSD’s Communications Department. She has over two decades of experience in communications, public relations and marketing with most of that experience in the field of K-12 public education. DCSD’s Communications Department is responsible for public information, crisis communications, media relations, parent and community engagement, live streaming of board meetings and graduations, video production, and more.

Stacy is the past President of the Colorado School Public Relations Association (COSPRA). She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Colorado at Denver as well as a certificate in graphic and web design from Platt College.

Stacy is a Colorado native as well as a proud DCSD resident and parent.


Matt Reynolds

Matt Reynolds, Learning Services Officer
[email protected] | 303-387-0137


Matt Reynolds oversees many DCSD departments including Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, Educator Effectiveness, Professional Development, and the District Library Media Center. Matt has been part of the DCSD family since 2013 and has served as math curriculum coordinator and Systems Performance Officer prior to his current role.
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Amanda Thompson

Amanda Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer
[email protected] | 720-433-1283


Amanda Thompson oversees the DCSD Human Resources Department, including: recruitment, hiring operations, employee relations, employee wellness and benefits, and EEO and compliance. She has over eight years of experience in school district human resources, plus nearly two decades of experience as an educator and school administrator. Amanda’s career in K-12 education originally began right here in DCSD. Amanda was a Special Education Educational Assistant, student teacher, and teacher at Trailblazer Elementary School. Amanda also served in past roles as a teacher, principal, and Human Resources Director in the Metro area prior to returning home to DCSD in 2017.
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In compliance with Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and Colorado law, the Douglas County School District RE-1 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services. Discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on age, genetic information, and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth is also prohibited in accordance with state and/or federal law. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees, and members of the public. The School District's Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator to address complaints alleging sexual harassment under Title IX is Aaron Henderson, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, [email protected], 303-387-0127.

Outside Agencies

Complaints regarding violations of Title VI, (race, national origin), Title IX (sex, gender), Section 504/ADA (handicap or disability), may be filed directly with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 North Speer Blvd., Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204. Complaints regarding violations of Title VII (employment) and the ADEA (prohibiting age discrimination in employment) may be filed directly with the Federal Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 303 E. 17th Ave., Suite 510, Denver, CO 80202, or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1050, Denver, CO 80202.

NOTICE OF DESTRUCTION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS

Special Education records which have been collected by Douglas County School District related to the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of special education in the district, must be maintained under state and federal laws for the period of five (5) years after special education services have ended for the student. Special education services end when the student is no longer eligible for services, graduates, or completes his/her educational program at age 21, or moves from the district. This notification is to inform parents/guardians and former students of Douglas County School District's intent to destroy the special education records of students who exited special education services as of June 30, 2016. These records will be destroyed in accordance with state law unless the parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student notifies the school district otherwise. After five years, the records are no longer useful to the district, but may be useful to the parent/guardian or former student in applying for social security benefits, rehabilitation services, college entrance, etc. The parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student may request a copy of the records by requesting the records at this link ( Douglas County School District Transcripts and Records Requests ).