FLASHBACK

Chatfield and Tope elementary schools. Additionally, Jim was honored for 20 years of teaching physical education at Dual Immersion Academy. Jim is also an assistant baseball coach at Grand Junction High School. Dana and Jim have two children who have been inspired by their parents’ incredible journey and decided to have careers in education as well.

Rebecca (Becky) Muller, ‘89, BS; ‘15, MET Becky Muller, an esteemed educator, has dedicated her life to the pursuit of teaching. She earned a degree in elementary education with a minor in mathematics, setting the stage for her successful journey. During the course of her 34-year career, she has made a significant impact on the Colorado education landscape. Becky’s most recent role was as a digita literacy and technology teacher at STEM Magnet Lab School K-8 in Adams 12 District. Becky is a Google certified innovator, Google certified educator 1-2, Raspberry Pi certified educator, PioNear/ Nearpod certified trainer and code. org facilitator for computer science discoveries and computer science fundamentals. She has shared her knowledge at esteemed conferences and events such as ISTE, Google Summits, InnEdCo and the Highway 21 Adams 12 District Technology Conference. Although Becky is retiring from teaching, she intends to continue making a difference as an independent contractor, facilitating workshops on computer science and technology for educators. She is also looking forward to more quality time with her family and appreciating the simple joys in life.

Debra Bailey, ‘90

1990s

Debra retired in 2011 from her role as the director of middle schools in Mesa County Valley School District 51, but she’s had the pleasure of coming back three times to help support leaders, staff and students. The chance to step in and out of the profession she loves has been very gratifying. When not jumping in to assist the school district, Debra has found time to visit all 50 states, travel internationally, and she has taken up yoga, gardening and writing. She also loves to watch her granddaughter play basketball for the CMU Mavericks.

Kylee Marshall, ‘02

2000s

This June, Kylee released an inspirational memoir called Of Dirt and Wildflowers that recounts experiences throughout the course

Breaking Barriers In The School District

Daniel Burke, ‘00

BY HEATHER PORTENIER

Daniel Burke looks back fondly on his time at Colorado Mesa University. He graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in business with a computer information systems emphasis. He was also an offensive guard for the football team from 1996–2000. Small class sizes, great professors and knowing everyone at school is what appealed the most to Burke when he pursued his education.

“I got a very good education at CMU, but the professors are what made the school so special,” said Burke. “Dr. Hatten, Dr. Grabow and Dr. BonanHamada are some I remember.”

As the executive director of technology for the Mesa County Valley School District 51, Burke knows the value of an education. His position entails “removing barriers between teachers and students to help them better communicate in an effective learning environment,” he explained. It’s definitely a job that keeps him busy and on his toes.

For a few years, Burke has volunteered as a wrestling and football coach, and now his children attend CMU summer camps.

“Right now we are just watching the kids grow up and make their own way in sports and education,” he said.

If Burke could pass along any advice to incoming or current students, it would be to create relationships, enjoy life and not to stress about the little things.

“Control what you can control!” he emphasized. “Just have a great experience.” •

Administration degrees. He began his career as a teacher and was then promoted to assistant principal. He is now the principal of Fruita Middle School where his passion and dedication has led the school to earn a spot among the top-ranking middle schools. From there, he began working with other principals across Colorado to improve the education system. In addition to the incredible accomplishments in Brig’s educational administration career, he is also a published author. He recently published a book called Singletons in a PLC at Work®: Navigating On-Ramps to Meaningful Collaboration, and has written several other articles regarding education.

Tawni Kelley, ‘10

2010s

of her life. The story begins with a tale about learning the importance of hard work and weaves its way back and forth from the present to the past connecting stories about childhood, motherhood, leaving her career as an educator, financial struggle, abuse and grief. The book is available on Amazon or at kyleemarshall.com. In addition to her writing, Kylee also does various speaking engagements. This September, she will speak at the Powerhouse Summit and will also teach workshops to empower women and help them find their purpose. She is married to alumnus Travis Marshall, and their family loves spending time in the outdoors.

Joe Krile, ‘06

Joe graduated from Mesa in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and now works as a general contractor. Summer is his busy season but every fall he thinks back to his time playing football at CMU where he was teammates with current CMU Assistant Football Coach Trevor Wikre. Stretching even further back, he remembers playing against current CMU Head Football Coach, Miles Kochevar, in a 4A Colorado high school state championship game.

Brig B. Leane, ‘08

Brig graduated from CMU with Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Business

In April, United Way of Mesa County recognized Tawni with the Raul Ramos Award. This award was created in 2004 as a “special annual award to honor an employee workplace campaign coordinator who has exhibited extraordinary leadership in their workplace campaign.” Tawni’s community involvement includes serving as vice president of the D51 Foundation, serving on the Grand Junction Baseball Committee (JUCO), coordinating the Alpine Bank JUCO Scholarship Program, serving as a Girl Scouts of Colorado president’s cabinet board member and fundraising for the 2021 GJHS Bond Committee. Her job at Alpine Bank as community outreach director in Mesa County allows her to partner with local nonprofits to help get them the support they need. She loves getting to know the people behind each organization and their heart for a better community. In 2022, she was able to help direct over $600,000 in donations back to our local community. Tawni got engaged to her husband, Chad, while they were both attending CMU. They have been married for 17 years and have three beautiful children.

Vanessa L. Shanahan, ‘14

Born and raised in Alaska, Vanessa is very passionate about her community.