BIOGRAPHY OF LISA VILLANUEVA
Lisa Villanueva, Parents Challenge's Executive Director, is a successful educator and administrator. She received her teacher's license in 1997 in Milwaukee, WI, where she taught middle school and later became the Executive Director of a private voucher school. Concerned for the quality of her children's education, Lisa then home-schooled her three sons through elementary and middle school, at which time she opened a K-12 learning center in partnership with a Colorado approved charter school.
Lisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Retail Marketing from Southern Illinois University in 1985, ultimately becoming floor manager for Imagnin's in California while also earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Alverno College in 1997. She wasselected as a Compton Fellow in 1997 and is currently a candidate for a Mastersof Arts in Educational Leadership at Marquette University.
Lisa is an education warrior. She continues to fight to make a quality education a reality for all kids, particularly those who the system has not served very well. She considers a parent's right to choose the best school for their children as a civil right. Lisa constantly seeks additional support for more choice for low-income parents in the Pikes Peak region.Lisa is totally committed to giving every child, regardless of circumstances, access to a quality education. She is particularly passionate about empowering all parents, not just those with financial means, with choice over how and where their kids get educated. Lisa is a champion for parents and choice.
BIOGRAPHY OF VANESSA TAYLOR-DOTISON
Office Manager, Vanessa Taylor-Dotison came to Parents Challenge at the beginning of the 2005 – 2006 academic years in August 2005. A Chicago native and alumnus of Chicago State University, she relocated to Colorado Springs to be close to her grandson.
Vanessa has an extensive customer service and information systems background. Her knowledge and experience has proven beneficial to the scope and growth of the organization. Also, her own personal life experience has allowed her to quickly adapt to the many situations that occur in this environment. Vanessa is best described as a caretaker who is very personable, which has afforded her an opportunity to establish a high level of trust with the Parents Challenge families.
Vanessa is instrumental in the development of Parents Challenge programs, policies and procedures; and, she is extremely passionate about the Education Reform movement. Her list of affiliations and accolades are many; and the passage, “The race is not given to the swift, but to the one who will endure to the end,” is her testament.