Staff
The Learning Source has a team of approximately 60 dedicated staff and 130 volunteers, representing over 25 sites in the Denver Metro area! Meet some members of the program team:
Harry Chan, Family Literacy Program Manager
Harry Chan has his advance degree (Ed.D) in Educational Administration, a Master’s Degree in Computers in Education and a BA in Elementary Education. He has endorsements from CDE for the K-12 Principalship and in K-6 Elementary Education. Harry has been extensively trained in the Foundations of Family Literacy and has attended multiple trainings and conferences with the National Center for Family Literacy over the past twenty years. He has done training for staff on the four-components of family literacy, family services, language development, technology training, assessment administration, program development and the evaluation of programs and staff. Harry can be reached by email at Harry@thelearningsource.org
Andrea Martinez, Family Literacy Program Coordinator
Andrea has over 21 years of experience in the Family Literacy Program at The Learning Source. She earned her Associates degree in General Studies, a level 1 Early Childhood Education teacher certificate, and is bi-lingual (English-Spanish). Andrea received her GED in 1985 at a Learning Source program, and began working part-time for The Learning Source in 1986 as a clerical aide. Since then, she has had several positions with the agency including data entry clerk, pre-school teacher, and trainer. After becoming more familiar with the field of adult education and family literacy, Andrea began working full-time for the Learning Source in 1994. She currently oversees the Children’s Family Literacy programs in which she trains Children’s Coordinators, assists with the Family Literacy program and supervises staff. Andrea has been married to Ruben for 31 years, and is the mother of three adult children and grandmother of nine. Andrea can be reached by email at Andrea@thelearningsource.org
Daun Miller-Barr, Accounting and Human Resources
Daun has been with The Learning Source for six years bringing over thirty years’ experience in clerical and administrative work. She has fifteen years of employment with Jefferson County schools as a paraprofessional which was an enriching and valuable experience that only strengthened her belief of the importance of education. Daun has a special place for our students as an adult learner herself, as she currently attends classes as a Red Rocks Community College student working towards a bookkeeping certificate. A hockey mom by trade, she has a strong belief in home and family with a husband, two adult sons, two Saint Bernard’s and a yard full of chickens. Daun can be reached by email at Daun@thelearningsource.org
Debby Novotny Doig, Volunteer Program Coordinator
Debby has made volunteerism the cornerstone of her life. She has been a life-long volunteer for many organizations along with choosing volunteer management as her career path. Debby retired from Douglas County Schools, holding the position of Coordinator of School/Community Partnerships for fifteen years. Debby understands all aspects of managing a volunteer program, having coordinated 18,000 volunteers for Douglas County Schools. She developed all materials, procedures, District policies, and screening processes. She introduced a volunteer data management system and designed events to recognize the volunteers. In her current role, Debby is responsible for recruitment of volunteers, orientation and placement of new volunteers, managing information, documents and databases related to the volunteer program, along with yearly recognition efforts. For the past eighteen years, her personal volunteer focus is as an active member of the Highlands Ranch Rotary Club. She served as their President in 2005-2006 and is also the Chair of the club’s major fundraiser, the Bright Futures Fundraising Gala. Debby can be reached by email at debby@thelearningsource.org
Sara Molden, Program Coordinator, The Learning Collaborative
Sara E. Molden has a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s degree in Ecology and Land Management. She became interested in English as a Second Language in college as a volunteer with Hmong refugees. She has traveled extensively and lived in Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Italy. Sara loves to spend time outdoors rafting, kayaking, hiking and skiing with family, friends, and dogs. When Sara moved to Denver she volunteered with CRESL (CO Refugee ESL) and eventually started a career teaching adult ESL with Jefferson County Adult Education and later the Stein Neighborhood Resource Center. In 2000, Sara joined The Learning Source and developed the Family Literacy Program at the Belmar Site. She has coordinated other programs with TLS including ESL for College and Career and the High School Equivalency Program at TLS-West. Sara recently became the Coordinator of The Learning Collaborative at Red Rocks Community College and is a math instructor in that program. Sara can be reached by email at Sara@thelearningsource.org
Noel Chalman, East Site Coordinator
Noel Chalman has a BA in English and a Masters in Secondary Education. With 15 years of experience in the world of education, Noel has taught for a variety of ages and in a variety of settings, but it wasn’t until he started teaching adults with The Learning Source that he felt he had found his true calling. Presently, Noel teaches at and is the coordinator at The Learning Source East site in Montbello. Noel is also a writer with a couple of published novels under his belt. Noel can be reached by email at noel@thelearningsource.org
Danielle Cooperstock, HSE Instructor at CWEE
Originally from Michigan, Danielle moved to Chicago to pursue her Bachelor’s in Social Justice from Roosevelt University. She relocated to Denver for the sunshine and for the snow that melts. While teaching in a nontraditional middle school classroom, she earned her Master’s in Critical Pedagogy from the University of Colorado Denver. Danielle comes to The Learning Source having experience creating and teaching curriculum for all core subjects and for life skills. Danielle believes that learning is a process of making-meaning that evolves as new experiences occur. She loves creating these new experiences for those at The Learning Source who are working towards earning their High School Equivalency diploma. In her free time, Danielle loves spending time outside, seeing live music, and being with her family, friends and dog. Danielle can be reached by email at dcooperstock@cwee.org
Mark Lauer, Corrections Coordinator
Mark has worked in education for nearly two decades. Over the years, he has tutored college Math, taught college English, Middle School Math and English, High School Math, and the GED. He has degrees in English and Math, and a minor in Earth Science. Currently, Mark oversees the corrections GED programs at the Denver City Jail and the Denver County Jail, as well as the ADWorks. Mark is also an accomplished competitive chess player, and he placed second in the state chess championships twice in a row as a youth. His other hobbies include writing and gaming. Mark can be reached by email at mark@thelearningsource.org
Cedric Lindsay, Student Success Coach
Being welcomed into The Learning Source community as Student Success Coach, Cedric comes to The Learning Source with experience in K-12 public education, Colorado Community College Systems, and Adult Education. Graduating from Adams State University, Cedric began teaching K-12 Music Education and Technology at Sierra Grande School in the San Luis Valley. Later, moving to Trinidad State Junior College as Retention Specialist for TRiO Student Support Services assisting first-generation, low-income college students in their pursuit of higher education. And, most recently, the Adult Learning Center in Adams County School District 14 where he taught all levels of adult education (ABE, ASE) and worked to further career services through developing business relationships, resume preparation, as well as developing career/financial workshops. Cedric can be reached by email at cedric@thelearningsource.org
Lisa Maes-Cruz, Distance Learning Coordinator
Lisa has been teaching for about 20 years. Her educational background consists of a Master's of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance and Accounting from Regis University, and a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management from the University of Oregon. Her work experience includes being a Financial Analyst for U S WEST, and a Purchasing Manager for Resort Computer Corporation. She was also a high school teacher for a short amount of time. Lastly, her college teaching experience includes Quantitative Analysis For Business , Business Algebra, Accounting Theory and Practice, Managerial Accounting, Business Law I, Career Development, Creating Academic and Professional Success, Customer Relations, Introduction to Business, Introduction to Marketing, Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Lisa can be reached by email at lisa.maes@thelearningsource.org
Ujunwa Okeke, Marketing Associate
Uju is a communication specialist who believes that everyone has a right to a better quality of life regardless of their background. Over the years, Uju has worked in organizations with this kind of mission both in Nigeria and in the U.S. Before joining The Learning Source, Uju worked with the communication and Sustainability department of Colorado State University (CSU) as a sustainability intern. There she oversaw the publication of monthly sustainability articles. During her time in school at CSU, she was a teaching assistant and worked closely with undergraduate students helping to teach and provide out-of-class support. Uju is passionate about education and thoroughly believes in the words of Malcolm X that "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for today." She believes that setting and starting an important life goal, such as getting an education, is something that everyone should consider doing without hesitation. She is excited to be in a position where she can help create more visibility to the brand name at The Learning Source. and encourage people to take charge of their future through education. Uju can be reached by email at ujunwa@thelearningsource.org
Margie Wagner, FRCC Program Manager
Margie Wagner started in July 2020 as the Program Manager for The Learning Source at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins. She began her career in adult education in 1985 as a volunteer tutor of English as a Second Language for a local literacy program. From this humble beginning, she discovered her passion for working with adult learners and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Adult Education from CSU in 1997. She began working for Front Range Community College in 1990, teaching adult education classes in ESL, basic skills, high school equivalency preparation, beginning reading for adults, and developmental reading for FRCC students. She has provided teacher training in adult education, ESL, and basic reading for adults. She served as Coordinator of the Center for Adult Learning from 1994-2017 and Director for both the Fort Collins and Loveland sites from 1/18-6/20. Margie can be reached by email at margie@thelearningsource.org
Dr. Aimee Callahan, Chief Learning Officer
Dr. Aimee Callahan has worked in higher education over the past 17 years as an adjunct faculty member, Director of Curriculum, and Academic Dean and VP. She spent time in China teaching ELA courses and taught Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking and Intercultural Communication at the college and university level.
As a former first generation student, she is passionate about promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in all learning environments to offer education to all learners as a "passport to a new life". Her most proud moment of her career thus far has been her time working as an Academic Dean and Director of Student-Run Businesses for Emily Griffith Technical College in downtown Denver.
Jessika Harcey, Library Program Manager
Jessika has been with The Learning Source since 2008 and has held various roles as an instructor in both the Family Literacy and Library ELA programs and as an ELA trainer for new volunteers. She has her CELTA certification and holds a B.S.S from Cornell College in Sociology and Global Poverty + Social Justice. Teaching English to adults for nearly 12 years, has given Jessika opportunity to see many students' lives change through adult education and loves working with this population. She is excited to serve English language learners in The Learning Source's partnership with the Arapahoe Library District as the Library ELA Program Manager. Jessika can be reached at jessika@thelearningsource.org.
Jessika manages the ELA program in partnership with Arapahoe Library District and can be reached at jessika@thelearningsource.org
Sarah Secrist, Chief Operating Officer
As Operations Manager, Sarah oversees all programming and helps support The Learning Source's mission of serving adult learners in the Denver Metro area. She has been with The Learning Source for several years, previously as a ABE/GED instructor with our community programs . Sarah has a background in Environmental Science and Education, with a B.A. from Boston University and M.A. from the University of Denver. Sarah has worked within the nonprofit sector for years in various education/program management roles. She grew up in beautiful Colorado, and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family! Sarah can be reached by email at Sarah.Secrist@thelearningsource.org
Joshua Evans, Chief Executive Officer
With a career in education spanning 20 years, Josh has always demonstrated a passion for learners as a teacher or administrator. Josh has previously held educational positions with governmental agencies, universities and colleges, and nonprofit organizations. He is currently the Committee Chair for Fundraising and Development for The Commission on Adult Basic Education, Board Member of the Colorado Community Action Association and past chair of the Workforce Committee with the Denver Chapter of The Society for Human Resource Management. He holds undergraduate degrees from The University of North Carolina—Wilmington in English and Criminal Justice and Master’s degrees from Naropa University and Oregon State University. He also holds his SHRM-SCP credential and is a certified International Associate for Emergenetics. In his free time he enjoys reading, writing, spending time with his family, and running. He annually participates in The Colfax Marathon supporting the nonprofit community of Colorado, and hopes to see you there. Josh can be reached by email at Josh@thelearningsource.org
