Our Team

Roya Brown

Executive Director

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Roya Brown, is a self-directed, innovative educator and first-generation immigrant with a passionate commitment to community resilience and student empowerment. As a “teacherpreneur,” she divides her work between teaching students and designing systems-level solutions for public education. Her 22 years of experience in education ranges from teaching pre-K through 12th-grade students in urban public schools to lecturing at a community college. She has extensive expertise in curriculum design, differentiated instruction, special education IEP, autism and ADHD intervention strategies, multicultural education, data-driven framework, gifted and talented program, student-centered instruction, at-risk student program, standard-based instruction, design of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) project-based learning, and professional development and training. Roya believes in practicing a horizontal leadership model that supports teachers as professionals. 

Prior to teaching, Roya was a project manager for over 17 years in the engineering and construction industries. In 2004, she served as an engineering construction manager for the Bam earthquake victims in Iran where 31,000 people lost their  lives. She managed the construction of a school, an emergency unit, and three health clinics for the victims. Based on her project management background, she has extensive experience in finance and budgeting, facility design, fundraising and marketing, and community engagement.  She has also served on several nonprofit boards. 

She is currently the Executive Director of You be You Early Learning, a proposed nonprofit, inclusive early childhood program offering high-quality care within a developmentally appropriate framework. Roya speaks four languages fluently.

EDUCATION

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Roxanna Yates

Board of Directors, President

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Roxanna has over 23 years experience in the Department of Early Learning and Child Welfare licensing regulations for childcare centers and 24-hour facilities in the state of Colorado. She coordinated the provision of licensing services to child care facilities in accordance with rules and regulations established by the Colorado Child Care Licensing act and ensured that Colorado Department of Human Services Child Care licensing and policies and procedures are followed.  

Roxanna was the Licensing Specialist, then a Supervisor and later the Manager of 24-hour Licensing Unit Division of Child Welfare through Colorado Department of Human Services where she planned, trained, supervised, and evaluated the work of State Child Welfare professionals and program assistants.  She supported staff in all phases of licensing duties and responsibilities, interpreted rules and regulations, implemented policies and procedures, assigned tasks, monitored progress and reviewed work for quality and accuracy.  She also reviewed and evaluated licensing applications and supporting documents including criminal records, child abuse, background check, health, fire, facility, and zoning reports. Roxanna provided oversight to staff responsible for input in Trails approved foster homes by licensed Child Placement Agencies throughout Colorado. She also offered recommendations to those in the business of providing 24-hour child care services regarding rules and regulations, licensing process and the laws governing child care.  

Furthermore, she acted as an adverse licensing coordinator, preparing documents for legal actions. She acted as the representative for any adverse hearings in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office and recommended the suspension, and revocation or issuance of a probationary license when substantial evidence of endangerment to children’s health, safety, and welfare are warranted based on Colorado Statutes.  Roxanna served as the liaison for the appeal panel for licensing in Early Childhood and Child Welfare Department.  She also worked closely with other divisions of Child Welfare and Mental Health.  

EDUCATION

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Certification in SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) where she was a Supervisor/Evaluator for process of the foster parent and children for adoptions

Nadene Klein

Board of Directors

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE                                            

  

Nadene Klein was born and raised in Chicago, IL and made her home in Colorado in 2000.  She currently is a high school science teacher at an alternative high school working with at-risk youth.  She has been passionate about science education as a professional educator for over 27 years.  Through the years, she has taught PK-12, with 18 years at the middle school level.  Nadene has taught social studies, math, health/PE, but she always comes back to her passion in science.  Areas of focus include S.T.E.A.M., teaching the joy of science for all, encouraging girls to pursue science at a higher level, developing a growth mindset, and creating life-long learners who are critical thinkers. 


She has earned numerous honors, awards, and grants throughout the years.  The most recent include the 2018 AVS Teaching Award for Excellence in Secondary Science, 2021 Excite Award Winner, 2021 semi-finalist for the NSTA Shell Science Teaching Award, and 2021 Douglas County Secondary Educator of the Year.


Nadene regularly speaks at state, regional, and national conferences regarding methods for teaching science, blended and personalized learning, alternative education, instructional design, PBL, authentic learning, as well as how to improve professional development.


Nadene works by contract to deliver professional development in workshops or presentations, instructional coaching, teacher mentoring, and new teacher induction.  This has included long term contract work with TeachUnited, Global Green STEM, and MeTEOR Education.  Nadene also serves as a member at large for the Colorado Wyoming Chapter of the American Association of Physics Teachers.  She is on the Douglas County School District Science Curriculum Council and is an active member of the following professional organizations:  NSTA, CAST, ASCD, NAEA, DAPT, and DCF.


EDUCATION


LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Alisha Lacombe-Émile

Board of Directors

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Alisha’s professional background includes experience with a mixture of both European and American educational systems. Because of her exposure to these two systems, she has a unique perspective on education. She is currently a curriculum director for the early childhood education program at Primrose School in Denver, Colorado. In this capacity, she is responsible for the professional development and ongoing training of faculty; coordinating teacher lesson plans and implementation; ensuring compliance with the AdvancED accreditation; and applying the use of Pyramid practices (the social/emotional techniques) to build positive, trusting relationships throughout the school between teachers and students. 

Alisha earned her Bachelor’s degree in French and philosophy, and a master of education degree in teacher leadership. She has a great passion for education and is very well-regarded throughout the Denver metro early childhood education community. In addition, she has her certification both as a large center director and in “Teaching Strategies Gold” (the school readiness assessment program used for pre-kindergarten students) as well as in Pyramid Plus. She is fluent in English, French, and Haitian Creole. Alisha is a resident of far northeast Denver. She is enthusiastic to be part of a high-quality educational model such as You be You Early Learning that nurtures children, parents, teachers, and the community.

EDUCATION 

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Dr. Adrienne F. Muldrow

Advisory Board

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Adrienne is an accomplished business leader with a successful track record overseeing finance and budgeting, marketing and fundraising, and communication projects for various organizations. Adrienne has served on several non-profit boards. She was a board treasurer for the Black Graduate Student Association and board member for the Health Care for All Colorado. Her teaching at a higher education institution brings a different perspective to You be You Early Learning (YbY). She assists YbY in reviewing budget & finance documents, updating business plan, and spearheading the marketing & fundraising projects. 

Adrienne’s professional career in business began in 1998 with the Small Business Administration (SBA) in Columbia, SC. As a consultant, she conducted training classes for the public on how to make an effective business plan and counseled small business owners on how to improve their business operations. In addition to receiving numerous awards throughout her academic and professional career, Adrienne’s research has been published in several refereed journals and conferences. After completing her MBA degree in 2000, Adrienne moved to Denver and began working for Bellco Credit Union as a personal banker. In this capacity, Adrienne marketed a variety of loan products for business, and personal use. She assisted individual customers with equity and retirement products and helped business owners with a range of products for improved financial management. She counseled individuals to improve their financial management skills and personal credit scores. In addition, she rained the staff on more productive sales techniques.

Adrienne recently earned her Ph.D. in the Communication at the Washington State University where she also taught the principles of marketing and international business to business graduate students. Her primary research interests pertained to consumer perceptions of health, particularly in the areas of advertising, digital media, food and health decision making, body and gender. She is currently Assistant Professor of Communication at the East Carolina University School of Communication, teaching media effects, advertising, and public relations.

EDUCATION

Gregory E. Woods

Advisory Board

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Greg is an innovative and accountable leader with a proven history and experience achieving measurable results. He is currently a Project Manager & Principal Consultant at Nutrien and assists You be You Early Learning with operations and community engagement.  Prior to his current position, Greg was a senior manager for ERP solutions at Prologis; senior IT project manager and business analyst at Centrix Financial LLC; and IT project manager at Avaya/AT&T/Lucent, Inc. He assists You be You Early Learning with operations, facility, and community engagement. 

Greg received a full scholarship through the National Science Foundation Scholar to complete his Master degree program in the computer science. Over his career, Greg has honed a great ability to analyze business processes and formulate detailed requirements to guide technical solutions development. He leads teams through risk initiatives to provide effective risk mitigation, contingency plans and resolution paths. He manages stakeholder and sponsor expectations while influencing high-level decision making related to process development, technology enhancements and achieving results. His core competencies include team leadership, program management, construction and infrastructure projects, risk management, quality assurance management, budget administration, cost control, team training, software solution, and mentoring and communication. 

Greg is a long-time resident of far northeast Denver and an active member of the community. He also serves as a chief executive officer for Montbello Barbers, LLC, a community-based small business in Montbello, Colorado. 

EDUCATION

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Susan Baber

Advisory Board 

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Susan is a veteran teacher with thirty-two years’ experience. Her professional career in education began in the 80s where she became a leader dedicated to engaging families in innovative thinking and effective communication. She is committed to designing a classroom environment that responds to the children's developmental levels, physical and emotional needs, and current interests. From 1986 to 1995, she was director of several Early Childhood Education (ECE) centers. In this capacity, she created curriculum, interacted with parents, hired staff, scheduled classes, trained and supervised staff, developed program policies, and advocated for children’s needs.

In the mid-90s, Susan became president of Wilcrest Development Center where she assisted several local Colorado Early Childhood Centers with program startup. She also coordinated enrichment programs which include planning, developing and implementing curriculum for various enrichment classes at the Stanley British Primary, Denver Academy of Torah, Kazoo and Company, Denver Public Schools Community Resource Program, Bromwell Elementary, and Denver Kent Academy. In 1991, she was invited by the Department of Social Services to rewrite Rules and Regulations for the State of Colorado’s “Before and After” School Child Care Programs. 

Her career with the Denver Public Library began in 2001 where she organized and planned special events for infants through the elderly, including after-school programs. In 2003, she joined Denver Public Schools where she taught full-time kindergarten for the Fairview Elementary. She is currently working for the Prairie View High School in 27J Brighton district where she teaches intervention classes and providing complete services for students with IEPs and also assisting students gaining credits with Credit Recovery classes. Susan has been nominated for many Teacher Appreciation Awards. She assists You be You early Learning in reviewing ECE applications, employee handbook, and developing summer camp program. 

EDUCATION

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Amber Ford

Advisory Board 

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Amber began her career as an elementary school educator in 2017 at Denver Public Schools where she taught culturally and linguistically diverse learners in Grades 4 and 5. In 2019, she went on to teach 5th Grade at Cherry Creek Schools where she worked to cultivate strong family-school partnerships and promote inclusive practices by co-creating community and helping students discover and leverage their funds of knowledge to navigate the culture of power.


In 2022, Amber became the Restorative Practices Program Manager at The Conflict Center of Denver. In her current role, Amber develops training materials that teach adults how to strengthen relationships in professional settings while utilizing restorative principles to transform conflicts into opportunities for growth. In addition, Amber designs pedagogical materials for students of all ages to manage conflicts using restorative practices. By encouraging deep self-reflection, Amber invites students to lead the charge in creating and maintaining a restorative and inclusive school culture and climate.


Throughout her career as an educator, Amber has worked with You be You Early Learning in a variety of advisory and leadership roles, from teaching early childhood and enrichment classes to designing holistic curricula. Currently, Amber serves as the Afterschool Programming and Community Event Coordinator and co-chairs the Equity Committee for the mobile preschool. She organizes and leads quarterly community engagement events and spearheads initiatives that integrate core academic competencies. Amber is the creator and director of Willow Park Reads, a summer literacy program that promotes inclusion and the joy of reading through culturally informed literature. 

EDUCATION

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

Kristopher Tetzlaff

Advisory Board 

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Kristopher Tetzlaff is an accomplished educator with an extensive professional background in P-20 and international education. Subsequent to completing his student teaching in Dublin, Ireland, Kristopher taught undergraduate language and literature courses at the University of Connecticut while completing his graduate studies. In 2007, Kristopher relocated to Colorado, where he dedicated the next seven years to teaching IB French at Cherry Creek School District.

Kristopher went on to serve as an IB French Teacher, World Languages Department Coordinator, and Director of Model United Nations at Dhahran High School in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 2017, Kristopher taught IB Language B and Ab Initio courses while acting as the World Languages Department Chair and Learning Leader at the American Community School of Abu Dhabi and the American School of Doha. Kristopher has attended and presented at an array of international educational conferences, including ASB Unplugged at the American School of Bombay, the NESA Fall Conference at the American Community School of Amman, Jordan, and the Assessment for Learning Conference at the International School of Luxembourg. Professional development opportunities and a passion for travel have taken Kristopher to 100 countries on six continents.

Kristopher returned to the United States in 2020 to pursue his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education at the University of Denver. His research foci include the applications and implications of a humanizing pedagogy for early childhood contexts; critical resource pedagogies; and community-based research. Kristopher currently serves as adjunct faculty for the Center for World Languages and Cultures, the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and the Office of Internationalization at the University of Denver. In addition to his doctoral studies, Kristopher enjoys volunteering with Casa de Paz and African Community Center. 

EDUCATION

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS