Welcome, 2025 Rural Superintendent Academy Fellows! 

Twenty-One Colorado School and School District Leaders Selected to Join RSA 

The fifth cohort of the Rural Superintendent Academy (RSA) launched the week of July 14, welcoming 21 new and experienced superintendents and school and school district leaders focused on building system leadership capacity and collaborative relationships across the state.

Made possible with support from the Boettcher Foundation, RSA is a leadership development opportunity led by Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) to advance approaches that improve rural school district leadership, while fostering peer-to-peer relationships among participants.

This new cohort represents rural leaders from Bayfield, Cañon City Fremont RE-1, Center Consolidated, Clear Creek RE-1, Dolores RE-4A, D49, Julesburg, Manzanola 3J, Mesa County Valley 51, Moffat Consolidated #2, Mountain Valley RE-1, Sanford, Sangre de Cristo, Sargent RE-33J, Sheridan No. 2, Trinidad #1, Vilas RE-5, and Weld County RE-9 school districts, as well as Pinnacle Charter School, the San Luis Valley Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and the Santa Fe Trail BOCES.

Fellows include four experienced rural superintendents, nine incoming rural superintendents, five central office administrators seeking to eventually lead a rural school district, two building leaders growing their skills for future system leadership, and, for the very first time, one BOCES executive director who provides special education services to 10 rural school districts.

RSA Fellows expand their leadership expertise by learning how to create conditions for excellence in district governance, community leadership, and district operational capacity. RSA supports participants in building adaptive and responsive relationships among students and families, communities, school boards, and staff as they collectively work toward the goal of long-term success and sustainability for their districts and communities.

Special congratulations to RSA Fellows Jenna Crowder of Sangre de Cristo School District and Abby Pettinger of Vilas School District RE-5, who have been selected to receive 2025 Dr. Cile Chavez Fellowships. This year, the Boettcher Foundation is awarding these two RSA participants The Dr. Cile Chavez Fellowship to inspire diverse, underrepresented education leaders to join RSA and bring their unique perspectives to the helm of Colorado districts, including through financial assistance to support costs related to their participation.

With the selection of the fifth cohort, there are now 77 RSA Fellows, with 46 currently serving as superintendents in Colorado and many more poised to fill system leadership roles.

“As an RSA cohort begins its learning, it can be difficult to judge how strong it will become. I can surely say this about Cohort 5: they are as talented a collection of education leaders as we’ve ever amassed. I’ve no doubt Cohort 5 will make previous RSA Fellows proud. Thirteen fellows already lead a district, and one leads a BOCES! I’m sure in the not-so-distant future many more will emerge as exceptional stewards of rural education systems thanks to this outstanding collegial network CEI and the Boettcher Foundation have created.”  – George Welsh, Senior Partner, CEI

CEI will begin accepting applications for RSA Cohort 6 in spring 2026. 

• Jackie Anderson, Executive Director of Curriculum and Learning, Mesa County Valley School District 51 
• Olivia Bachicha, M. Ed., M.A., Incoming Superintendent, Trinidad School District #1
• Natalie Brown, Executive Director, Sante Fe Trail BOCES
• Joe Carey, Incoming Superintendent, Sanford School District
• Dr. Dylan Connell, Incoming Superintendent, Bayfield School District
• Jenna Crowder, Elementary Principal, Sangre de Cristo School District
• Andrea “Ande” Davis, Superintendent, Moffat Consolidated School District #2
• Andrew Hawkins, Assistant Superintendent, Center Consolidated School District 26JT
• Scott Hodgson, Incoming Superintendent, Sargent School District RE-33J
• Dr. Jeremy Jimenez, Chief Academic Officer, Pinnacle Charter School
• David Judd, Superintendent, Manzanola School District 3J
• Andy Lavier, Incoming Superintendent, Weld County School District RE-9 
• Tara Marquez, Early Childhood Special Education Director, San Luis Valley BOCES 
• Sean Norman, Director of Applied and Advanced Learning, School District 49 
• Jose Ortega, Incoming Superintendent, Mountain Valley School District No. RE-1
• Wesley Paxton, Incoming Superintendent, Clear Creek School District RE-1
• Abby Pettinger, Superintendent, Vilas School District RE-5
• Alesa Reed, Incoming Superintendent, Dolores School District RE-4A
• Ryan Renquist, Incoming Superintendent, Julesburg School District RE-1
• Bill Summers, Cañon City High School Principal, Cañon City Schools Fremont RE-1
• Dr. Gionni Thompson, Superintendent, Sheridan School District No. 2