Renaissance Montessori Academy - Board of Directors
President - Vincent Pirrello
Vincent has been a member of the board of directors for 4 years and has held various positions during his tenure. Both of his children have attended RMA and are now thriving in their academic careers thanks to the education and attention they received at RMA. In fact, he believes so strongly in the vision and mission of the school that he has remained an active member well after his children have graduated from RMA.
Vincent is currently a senior manager of software engineering at Jeppesen, a Boeing company, in the Global Navigation Technical Services division. Vincent holds a BS in Meteorology from St. Louis University and a BS in Computer Science from Colorado State University, and is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of Colorado.
Vice President - Dorothy Shapland
Dorothy is an American Montessori Society certified pre-primary teacher, and a Colorado State certified Elementary School Teacher. She holds a Child Care Center Director Qualification from the state of Colorado, and has been a pre-school/kindergarten & Elementary school teacher in a variety of Montessori, private, public and charter schools since 1984.
Currently, Dorothy teaches a Kindergarten / first grade class in Aurora Public Schools, and provides professional development for the Division of Wildlife, the Forestry Service, the Colorado Water Conservation Consortium as well as for APS. Dorothy is a regular presenter for a number of state and national conferences on the topic of Arts Integration Education. She has been a board member of the non-profit organization RhythmVision since it’s inception, and is currently the president of the board. Additionally, she is a member of the community council for the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning. Previously, Dorothy was a member of the board of Westmont Montessori School in Mendham New Jersey, and holds a membership in the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Colorado Association of Science Teachers, The Coalition of Environmental Educators, and the American Montessori Society.
As a parent of an alumnus, Dorothy joined the board of directors in 1997, and has served in a variety of roles including providing professional development for the RMA staff. She is currently serving as both the acting Vice President and Secretary of the Board, and hopes to continue with the school as long as she is of service.
Treasurer - Craig Coulter
Craig owns and operates a consulting business specializing in computer-based bookkeeping and accounting systems and provides programming, instruction, and support of computerized accounting applications. Craig has also served as a music teacher for elementary through high school instrumental and vocal music classes, worship leader and audio/visual technical services provider for a local congregation, information systems manager for oilfield equipment manufacturer, and also has coordinated office administration management computerization for a large school district.
Craig was first elected to the board of directors in the summer of 2000 and provides technical support for the school's computer network as well as assistance to the director in bookkeeping procedures and practices.
Secretary - Dorothy Shapland
(see above)
Past President - Nim Patel
Nim Patel served as board president for the 2008-2009 school year and has been a board member for 4 years. Nim is a Principal with iSherpa Capital, an investment capital firm. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Cequint, Inc, Perlego Systems and VarVee, Inc. and a Board Observer for Freelinc Communications and Telwares, Inc. Prior to iSherpa, Nim was Vice President of Finance for WebTone Technologies, a leading provider of software to the banking industry. He built the foundation for his career with five years of assurance and management consulting experience at Arthur Andersen and PriceWaterhouseCoopers where he focused on emerging business and telecom clients. Nim holds a BBA from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Emory University.
Member at Large - Harry Bull, Ph.D.
Member at Large - Amy Kline
Amy is a native of Colorado, and the daughter of two school teachers. She holds her BFA in Film Production from the University of Colorado and has spent the last 15 years working at Starz Entertainment, currently holding the position of VP Programming Operations. Her oldest daughter started at Renaissance Montessori Academy (RMA) in 2003, graduating from RMA’s kindergarten program in 2008. Her youngest daughter has been at RMA since 2008 and is currently a pre-K student. As a first year member of the board, Amy is looking forward to helping the school, and bringing out the highest potentials of each and every student who passes through its doors.
Member at Large - Scott Threlkeld
As a parent of two children who currently attend Renaissance Montessori, Scott Threlkeld became a board member to insure that the quality education and remarkable growth he sees with his children continue on in future classes.
Scott grew up in Colorado, attending Denver Public Schools and graduated from East High School. He then moved on to the University of Colorado and graduated with a degree in Public Administration. Scott is currently the Information Systems Manager for Delta Dental of Colorado. He lives with his beautiful wife and two daughters in Parker.
