Meet the Home Office Team
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Bill Kurtz
Chief Executive Officer
Before joining DSST, Bill served as the Principal of Link Community School in Newark, NJ. He graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in political science and earned an M.A. from Columbia University's Teachers College in educational administration and leadership.
Peter Fritzinger
Chief Financial Officer
Peter joined DSST in February, 2012. Most recently he was CFO of Market Force Information, a market research company where was responsible for the financial, acquisition integration, human resources, and administrative functions. Prior to Market Force, Peter was the Chief Financial Officer for Verio, Inc., Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. (“LDNG”) and VP-Finance for Louis Dreyfus Energy Corp.(“LDEC”). Peter began his career in banking with 11 years at JP Morgan. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in mathematics and psychology from Amherst College in 1980. Peter and his wife, Gail, have three teenage children--Jack, Bailey and Carrie.
Christine Nelson
Chief of Staff
Before joining the Home Office team at DSST, Christine worked as a program manager at the National Conference for State Legislatures, where she advised legislators across the country on policies impacting children and families. She was a senior staff member to former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, a candidate for public office, a co-founder of two successful Minnesota charter schools and a recipient of a German Marshall Fund Fellowship (2008). She holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Minnesota. She spends her free time with her husband, Bruce Vandal, and children Ben (a DSST 7th grader), Zoe (9) and Ella (7).
HOME OFFICE STAFF
Greg Avedikian
School Operations Manager
Before joining the DSST team, Greg worked as a Campus Operations Manager at TEAM Academy Charter School, a KIPP region in Newark, NJ. Prior to that, Greg was a New York City Teaching Fellow, where he taught middle school ESL in Brooklyn, NY. Greg holds a BA in French and Political Science from Rutgers University, an MA in French Literature from New York University and an MA in TESOL from Hunter College of the City University of New York. Greg is a New Jersey native who has called Paris and New York home, but is elated to now live in Colorado. Greg and his wife Laura live in Boulder with their skis and bikes. Greg enjoys running, skiing, hiking, camping and any other activity that allows him to spend time outdoors.
Steve Coit
Data and Assessment Analyst
Steve joined the DSST team in 2012 after six years in Chicago. He taught high school math and science at a Chicago charter school and spent two years as a currency trader in the Chicago Board of Trade. Steve graduated from Duke University with a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Philosophy. An Upstate New York native, Steve enjoys exploring Denver, spending time in the mountains, and appreciates the Denver weather.
Jake Firman
Manager of Education Technology
Before joining the DSST team, Jake was an Instructional Technology Coordinator and 8th grade math teacher at Bruce Randolph School in northeast Denver. He is a graduate of Gonzaga University, where he majored in Marketing and Economics, and is a Teach For America alum. Jake has a strong passion for harnessing technology and innovation in ways that make meaningful, measurable, and long-lasting impact on public education. He is an avid sports fan, and enjoys spending time with his amazing wife Angela.
Rachael Gurian
Manager of Interventions
Before coming to DSST, Rachael has spent the last 13 years supporting K-12 students in various roles ranging from academic and behavioral counseling, teaching, and leadership capacities in instruction, culture, Response to Intervention, and Special Education. She has worked for various urban charter schools and school districts in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and San Diego. Rachael has a passion for ensuring that all students in this nation have an opportunity, resources, and access to an excellent education. She has extensive experience supporting high need schools build models and systems to ensure all students are responsive to instruction and that their staffs are properly equipped with training to work with students behind grade level in literacy and language. She is currently a Response to Intervention Trainer for the Colorado League of Charter Schools. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University, a M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh and earned her Educational Leadership Certificate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, reading, mentoring, music, and spending time with her friends and family.
Megan Helseth
Special Projects Coordinator
Megan is a native of Evergreen, CO, and recently graduated from Colorado College with distinction in Anthropology. As the daughter of a Colorado public high school teacher, Megan is inspired by DSST’s mission and commitment to excellent education for all children in Colorado. After her time at DSST, Megan hopes to attend a graduate program in Digital Studies; her main academic interests lie in researching the way people use technology and how it affects interpersonal relationships, education, politics and other aspects of daily life. You can usually find her eating gluten free foods, drinking coffee and rocking out on her headphones.
Meg Lafave
Senior Manager of Human Capital
Meg graduated from Purdue University with a degree in kinesiology and pre-medical science. After college, Meg joined Teach for America-Colorado where she taught science for two years at an alternative high school. Outside of her work at DSST, Meg is pursuing an MBA at the University of Colorado-Boulder and enjoys cooking, running and Pilates.
Jenny Meyer
Grants Manager
Before coming to DSST, Jenny was the Development Director for the Colorado Music Festival & Rocky Mountain Center for Musical Arts in Boulder. Jenny holds a BA in art history from Williams College and an MA in English from the University of California - Davis. She enjoys reading, being outdoors, and the performing arts. Jenny is a Denver native and lives with her husband, Marc, and their two young daughters, Harper and Quinn.
Nicole Najmy
Manager of Curriculum and Assessment
Nicole joined the DSST Team in 2010. She taught 6th grade Science at the DSST: Stapleton campus before moving to DSST: Cole to serve on the founding team as the Dean of Students. Prior to teaching at DSST Nicole was a part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program and taught in the Bronx at the Urban Institute of Mathematics. She has a BA from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, and an MA from the City College of New York. She enjoys traveling and participating in all that Colorado has to offer.
Mimi Nguyen
Budget Analyst
Before joining DSST, Mimi worked in Finance at DISH Network where she managed the revenue budget for Pay-Per-View. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a degree in Economics. Mimi is a native of Colorado. She and her husband Tony enjoy spending time with family and friends. In her free time, she likes to practice yoga and pilates.
Sonia Rao
Alumni and College Support Coordinator
Sonia supports our DSST alumni as they work to complete college. She graduated with a degree in psychology from Emory University where she worked on child development research and completed a thesis on math acquisition. Prior to joining DSST, she taught middle school special education and language arts as a Teach for America corps member. She is originally from Indiana and loves the Midwest, yoga, photography, and snowboarding.
Jacob Roddy
Senior Manager of Operations
Before coming to DSST, Jacob worked as a project manager for Chicago Public Schools on an initiative to improve climate and culture within high-risk schools. In prior roles, he served as an operations director for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, worked as an operations consultant for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and supported enterprise clients at a human capital management company. Jacob is a graduate of the University of Kansas with degrees in Journalism and Spanish. He and his wife, Taylor, love to travel, spend time with friends and family, and get outdoors.
Meg Yoder
Team Support and Executive Assistant
Before coming to DSST, Meg spent several years as a volunteer in public school initiatives. Meg also worked in Development at Colorado Academy and in the Corporate Culture Department at the Boston Chicken Support Center in Golden. She was an intern at a Charter School start-up in Gardiner, Maine before attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Meg graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Fine Art. Prior to taking on the Team Support and Executive Assistant role, Meg was the Staff Support and Benefits Coordinator in the Home Office and, before that, an intern with the College Placement Team at DSST: Stapleton High School. In her free time, she enjoys reading, skiing and relaxing with her husband, Dean, and her three children (ages 8 – 12), Joe, Nancy and Mary (the girls are 6th- and 7th-graders at DSST: Stapleton Middle School).