Staff Contacts - Office of Special Education

COVID-19 and Special Education

View information for educators and parents to support students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 resources for special education

Parents with questions or needing assistance can contact ESSU at:

Phone: 303-866-6649 or 303-866-6757
Email: Parents_ESSUquestions@cde.state.co.us

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Executive Director, Deputy ED, Administrative Assistant

Access, Learning and Literacy (ALL Team)

ESSU Fiscal Systems

General Supervision and Monitoring

Professional Learning and Strategic Partnerships

TTY (Deaf & Hard of Hearing) and State Special Education Directors

This list provides the areas of responsibility for the Office of Special Education staff as well as the offices listed below as part of the Exceptional Student Services Unit. ESSU Responsibility List (PDF)(Updated January, 2020)

Staff contacts for other ESSU offices:

Executive Director, Deputy ED, Assistant

Paul Foster, Ed.D., Executive Director
Email Dr. Paul Foster
303-866-6694

Suzy Shotts, Administrative Assistant
Email Suzy Shotts
303-866-6124

All Team

Tanni Anthony, Director / Blind/Visually Impaired and Deaf-Blind Specialist
Email Tanni Anthony, 303-866-6681

Roberta Curtis
Admin III
Email Roberta Curtis
303-866-6833

Steve Dyer
Admin III
Email Steven Dyer
303-866-6414

Amanda Neiser
Admin III
Email Amanda Nieser
303-866-6121

Janet Zimmerman
Admin III
Email Janet Zimmerman
303-866-6644

Tami Cassel
Supervisor / Speech Language Pathologist Specialist
Email Tami Cassel
303-866-6114

Veronica Fiedler
Specific Learning Disability Specialist
Email Veronica Fiedler
303-866-6863

Heather Hotchkiss
Brain Injury Specialist
Email Heather Hotchkiss
303-866-6739

Amanda Timmerman
E-Learning Specialist
Email Amanda Timmerman
303-866-6969

Kathy Wheatley
E-Learning Specialist
Email Kathy Wheatley
303-866-6986

Gina Hererra
Supervisor / SSN and Deaf-Blind Specialist
Email Gina Herrera
303-866-6605

Bill Brown
Affective Needs / Serious Emotional Disability Specialist
Email Bill Brown
303-866-6712

Krista Klabo
School Psychology and Special Education Evaluation Specialist
Email Krista Klabo
720-284-2524

Gail Lott
Secondary Transition Specialist
Email Gail Lott
303-866-6721

Katie Oliver
Inter-agency Transition Liaison
Email Katie Oliver
303-866-6701

Vacant
APE / OT / PT Consultant
Email Gina Herrera
303-866-6605

Ellen Hunter
Supervisor / Literacy Specialist
Email Ellen Hunter
303-866-6244

Shauna Moden
Supervisor / Deaf Education Specialist
Email Shauna Moden
303-866-6707

Brooke Carson
Autism Spectrum Disorder Specialist
Email Brooke Carson
303-866-6691

Vacant
English Learners With Disabilities Specialist
Email Shauna Moden
303-866-6707

ESSU Fiscal Systems

Vicki Graham, Supervisor, ESSU Fiscal Systems
Email Vicki Graham, 303-866-6442

Moira Blake
Fiscal Specialist
Email Moira Blake
303-866-6639

Kim Boylan
Project Support Specialist
Email Kim Boylan
303-866-6690

Lauren Rossini
Special Education Licensing and Reporting
Email Lauren Rossini
303-866-6688

Lisa Schmit
ESSU Accounting Technician
Email Lisa Schmit
303-866-6176

Vacant
Receptionist
303-866-6694

General Supervision and Monitoring

Candace Hawkins, Director, General Supervision and Monitoring
Email Candace Hawkins, 303-866-6213

Jennifer Woods
Dispute Resolution Coordinator
Email Jennifer Woods
303-866-6889

Brandon Edelman
Supervisor, Dispute Resolution
Email Brandon Edelman
303-866-6876

Ashley Schubert
State Complaint Officer
Email Ashley Schubert
303-866-6311

Lindsey Watson
State Complaint Officer
Email Lindsey Watson
303-866-6619

Cici Lyman
Program Support
Email CiCi Lyman
303-866-4797

Miki Imura
Supervisor, Data and IDEA Accountability
Email Miki Imura
303-866-6976

Orla Bolger
Data and IDEA Accountability Specialists
Email Orla Bolger
303-866-6896

Melissa Chaffin
Online IEP and DMS Project Coordinator
Email Melissa Chaffin
303-866-6819

Gloria Durosko
Data and General Supervision Liaison
Email Gloria Durosko
303-866-6885

Alyssa Ohleyer
Accountability Specialist
Email Alyssa Ohleyer
303-866-6308

Kerry Whitmore
Supervisor, General Supervision and Monitoring
Email Kerry Whitmore
303-866-6604

Heidi Derr
DMS/State IEP Specialist
Email Heidi Derr Quintana
303-866-6109

Beth Nelson
RDA Specialist
Email Beth Nelson
303-866-6812

Cindy Petersen
Program Support
Email Cindy Petersen
303-866-6106

Professional Learning and Strategic Partnerships

Faye Gibson, Director, Professional Learning and Strategic Partnerships
Email Faye Gibson, 303-866-6887

Mary Anne Fleury
Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist
Email Mary Anne Fleury
303-866-6649

Pahmela Mendoza
Family School Program Specialist
Email Pahmela Mendoza
303-866-6771

David Ramer
Program Support
Email David Ramer
303-866-6943

Michael Ramirez
Equity Specialist
Email Michael Ramirez
303-866-6991

Joyce Thiessen-Barrett
Family School and Community Partnering Specialist
Email Joyce Thiessen-Barrett
303-866-6757

Wendy Sawtell
Supervisor, Prof. Learning and Strategic Partnerships
Email Wendy Sawtell,
303-866-6749

Brittany Deyoe
Program Support
Email Brittany Deyoe
303-866-3895

TTY (Deaf & Hard of Hearing)

Call 303-860-7060

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Staff Contacts - Office of Special Education

COVID-19 and Special Education

Jump to Section

Executive Director, Deputy ED, Assistant

All Team

ESSU Fiscal Systems

General Supervision and Monitoring

Professional Learning and Strategic Partnerships

TTY (Deaf & Hard of Hearing)

Find what you were looking for?