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

Assistance for Parents

Parents with questions or needing assistance can contact the Exceptional Student Services Unit.

Special Education

Questions about Special Education or needing assistance please contact the Office of Special Education at:

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

Young Children (Birth to age 5) or Preschool

Questions about young children (birth to age 5) or Preschool Special Education please contact the Preschool Team:

Phone: 303-501-0837
Email: White_H@cde.state.co.us

Preschool Special Education and Child Find Contacts

Gifted Education

Questions about Gifted Education, please contact Gifted Education Team:

Phone: 303-866-6652
Email: McKinney_R@cde.state.co.us

Jump to Section

Executive Director & 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.

Staff contacts for other ESSU offices:

Executive Director & Administrative 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

Holly Jackson
Admin III
Email Holly Jackson
303-866-6121

Michael Ramirez
Supervisor, Strategic Partnerships, Equity Projects
Email Michael Ramirez
303-866-6991

Vacant
Admin III

Shani O'Brien
Speech Language Pathologist Specialist
Email Shani O'Brien
303-868-8351

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

Vacant
Brain Injury Specialist

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

Rhonda Danner
Autism Spectrum Disorder Specialist
Email Rhonda Danner
720-460-8368

Hunter Smith
English Learners With Disabilities Specialist
Email Hunter Smith

ESSU Fiscal Systems

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

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

Vacant
Fiscal Specialist

Katherine Rains
Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist
Email Katherine Rains
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

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

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

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

Rachel Dore
State Complaint Officer
Email Rachel Dore
303-866-6619

Ross Meyers
State Complaint Officer
Email Ross Meyers
303-866-3801

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

Gloria Durosko
Supervisor, Data and Monitoring Liaison
Email Gloria Durosko
303-866-6885

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

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

Vacant
Data and General Supervision Liaison

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

Becky O’Malley
SPED Monitoring and Technical Assistance Consultant
Email Becky O'Malley
303-866-6109

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

Nick Smosna
SPED Monitoring and Technical Assistance Consultant
Email Nick Smosna
303-866-4640

Megan Tannozzini
SPED Monitoring and Technical Assistance Consultant
Email Megan Tannozzini
303-866-6812

Vacant
DMS/State IEP Specialist
Email Kerry Whitmore
303-866-6604

Vacant
RDA Specialist
Email Kerry Whitmore

TTY (Deaf & Hard of Hearing)

Call 303-860-7060

Find Your Special Education Director

Find what you were looking for?

If you have problems with broken links or accessing the content on this page, please contact our web content coordinator Amanda Timmerman at Timmerman_A@cde.state.co.us. Please copy the URL link for this page into the email when referencing the problem you are experiencing.