The Colorado Department of Education

Offices | Staff Contacts | Colorado.gov

The Commissioner's Executive Team

Amy Anderson, Assistant Commissioner of Innovation and Choice

Anderson was hired by Commissioner Robert Hammond in August 2011 to lead a new division that serves as the catalyst within CDE for education innovation. Current units housed within this area include charter, innovation, and other schools of choice; online and blended learning; adult education and GED; and the state library. Prior to joining CDE, Anderson was the director of strategic partnerships at the Donnell-Kay Foundation. Her work there focused on expanding student access to quality public education options and spearheading policy work to move the needle on education reform in Colo. Anderson recently completed service on the State Charter School Institute Board and Expanded Learning Opportunities Commission and still serves on the Board of The Odyssey Charter School in Denver. Anderson holds a Ph.D. and M.Ed. from the University of Colorado and a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin.

Janelle Asmus, Chief Communications Officer

Janelle Albertson Asmus, APR, is a veteran education communications professional with more than two decades experience at the state and local levels. She was named CDE’s chief communications officer in May 2011 by Commissioner Robert Hammond.

Asmus has served in various communications and public relations leadership positions in Kansas and Colorado. She’s been the president of both states’ school public relations association and has served as the Southwest Regional Vice President for the National School Public Relations Association.  She’s a regularly invited presenter for conferences around the nation on issues such as strategic communications planning, governmental relations and issues management. She’s a featured author of books such as School Public Relations: Building Confidence in Public Schools, The Wit and Wisdom of PR Success, and the Journal of School Public Relations. Her work has earned dozens of state and national awards including the National School Public Relations’ highest award, the Gold Medallion, for superior public relations practices.

Prior to joining CDE, Asmus served as the chief communications officer for Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Thornton, Colo. She’s also worked in similar roles with the Boulder Valley School District, the Wichita (Kan.) School District, the Kansas State Department of Education, and the Kansas Association of School Boards. Click here to see the work of the Communications Office.

Jill Hawley, Chief of Staff and Strategy

Jill Hawley brings nearly 20 years experience in education policy and business. Prior to joining CDE, she served as project director with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) where she assisted CDE in developing and implementing a statewide strategy for increasing educator effectiveness. Hawley spent eight years working for AdvancED where she was responsible for leading the merger that created the organization, implementing the organization’s strategic plan and managing the organization’s 30 state offices. She has held a variety of leadership roles in a range of nonprofit organizations seeking to improve the quality of education for all students. Early in her career she served as a staffer at the Colorado Legislative Council. Hawley holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University and a master’s in business administration from the Harvard Business School.

Carey Taylor Markel, Director of State Board Relations

Carey Taylor Markel was hired by the Colorado State Board of Education in October 2011. She brings a broad range of public and private sector experience to her role as director of state board relations, including partner in a law firm in South Carolina and Of Counsel to Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell in Denver. Most recently, Markel served as senior assistant attorney general in the education unit of the Colorado Department of Law where she provided counsel to the state board of education and the Colorado Department of Education on a variety of matters and issues. While at the Department of Law, Markel served as general counsel to the Board of Trustees of Western State College of Colorado and provided counsel to other Colorado institutions of higher education. Through her service in the Department of Law, Markel developed an extensive knowledge of P-20 systems. Having grown up with educators, Markel has a deep appreciation for the dedication they bring to the profession. Markel holds a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Auburn University.

Keith Owen, Associate Commissioner

Education Commissioner Robert Hammond appointed Owen associate commissioner in August 2011. Owen oversees the state’s special education programs, federal programs including Title I, support for local school districts, and accountability systems.

Owen comes to the state department from Durango School District where he served as the superintendent for the last three years. During his tenure in Durango, he is credited with initiating a principal professional development program for principals in the southwest portion of the state and leading a comprehensive community strategic plan that has resulted in many improvements to the school system.

Prior to being the superintendent in Durango, Owen served in a variety of leadership positions with the Pueblo City School District. His experience in Pueblo included being a teacher, principal, director of reading programs, executive director of elementary education and chief academic officer. Owen received his Ph.D. and Superintendent License in June of 2004 from the University of Denver in Colorado.

Diana Sirko, Deputy Commissioner

Diana Sirko is a Colorado native who has been a public school educator in Colorado for 37 years. She has been a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent prior to coming to the Colorado Department of Education as the deputy commissioner in June 2010. Sirko is a graduate of Denver Public Schools and attended the University of Northern Colorado for her B.A. in biology, chemistry and mathematics, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for her master's in educational technology and leadership, and the University of Colorado at Denver for her Ph.D.  Honors received by Sirko include Honorable Mention as Colorado Teacher of the Year, and nominations for Colorado Principal of the Year and Superintendent of the Year. Sirko is currently leading the state effort in the implementation of the new Colorado state standards, assessments and educator effectiveness. She believes strongly in the power of public education to create unlimited potential for all the children in our state and is very excited about the aggressive reform initiatives that Colorado is pursuing on behalf of Colorado’s children.