Meet Kaci

Kaci has been a teacher for nearly a decade and has had a passion for children as long as she can remember. Kaci grew up in Colorado Springs and came to Grand Junction to attend CMU (but she was there when it was Mesa State College). She graduated and moved up to Cedaredge, Colorado for her first few years teaching. She then met her husband and moved back to Grand Junction where she accepted a 3rd Grade position at Fruitvale Elementary. She then moved into a K-5 Reading and Math interventionist. She finished up her teaching career at Rocky Mountain Elementary where she taught K-5 Science and Technology, though it was more centered around engineering practices and projects.

Kaci now works part time for an elite wedding and events entertainment small company and as an Operations Specialist at a downtown business. Kaci has implemented many systems and operations for both companies and has increased the efficiency for both businesses. Kaci is very data driven and encourages gathering data and making informed decisions when making a change.

When Kaci is not working, she spends the days with her family. Kaci loves to adventure and be outdoors, but also enjoys the comforts of her own home.

Kaci is excited and ready to serve her community and the schools in Mesa County Valley School district.

Kaci's Impact

Take a look at what Kaci has done so far for her community, the schools, and children of Mesa County!

MVEA CORE

Kaci spent over three years organizing and creating MVEA CORE which focused mostly on encouraging and supporting educators within the first 5 years of their career. One of the biggest impacts was collecting thousands of books to donate to new teachers build their class libraries. Kaci and Jenn Tyler travelled across the country and state learning how to best support teachers. We also worked to ensure newer teachers felt comfortable expressing their voice and their ideas while simultaneously working with more veteran teachers on respecting and encouraging their new staff.

Student Council

Kaci facilitated Student Council for 3rd through 5th graders at Fruitvale Elementary School for three years. We worked with students, parents, and the community to raise funds and organize around certain issues in our school and community. Most notably, we raised money for Grab Bags for our local homeless shelter which included socks, toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, brushes, snacks, and so much more. We also raised money to buy a shed and playground equipment . Our student council also managed and staffed the shed for equipment check out and maintenance.

Advocacy

Kaci has always been a fierce advocate for students and teachers. She has attended multiple conferences and seminars on engaging students and education as well as national and state conferences and seminars around advocacy for teachers and educators. Kaci has been a leader in various areas of teacher advocacy and part of the passing of state association resolutions protecting new teachers.

Girls on the Run

Kaci has coached as a Girls on the Run coach for about 6 years. Even the years she has not been a coach, she has facilitated sponsorship for a local business to provide the sound system for our girls running the race! Kaci has thoroughly enjoyed coaching and guiding young girls through the Girls on the Run curriculum forging life long relationships alongside these young girls!

D51 Leadership Cohort 2024-2025

Kaci was selected to be part of the D51 Leadership Cohort for the 2024-2025 year. She has learned invaluable and important information about D51.

Kaci learned so much about D51 and cultivated relationships with community members and D51 staff.

Board Meetings

There are not many board meetings that Kaci misses. Even after she stepped away from the classroom to care for her daughter, she still attended or listened to nearly every board meeting. Kaci believes that being informed by watching and listening to first hand accounts is the best way to form opinions and ideas around certain topics. Kaci is no stranger to speaking up at board meetings.

What's Kaci Reading?

Follow Kaci's GoodReads to see what she's reading next!

Reading is a passion of mine and one I fought for. I wasn't a good reader in school and I never loved it. Then, one day, a teacher in college changed that for me. She doesn't know it, but her passion for books and reading set me on my path.

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