CASE Staff 

Carissa Hughes has 20 years of experience in creating and executing a variety of events. She spent 15 years overseeing events in the entertainment industry; working for records labels (Sony Music Group and Universal Music Group) and at major US arenas (American Airlines Center and Pepsi Center). One of the highlights of her career was working with the Dallas Mavericks during their NBA Championship season in 2011! Carissa moved from her hometown of Dallas, TX to Denver, CO 10 years ago, and true to her Texas roots, enjoys all of Colorado’s “warm weather” activities versus the “cold ones”. After deciding to transition away from entertainment events, Carissa joined CASE 5 years ago. She loves helping support Colorado’s public education leaders through events, which she can insert a bit of her “entertainment-eye” flair to.

*not responsible for speakers/content

Email: Chughes@co-case.org

Brittany started working at CASE as the Membership, Learning, and Technology program specialist in 2018, and her title has been updated over time to suit her primary focus of support to become the Manager of & Strategic Partnerships and Vendor Relations in 2022. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Brittany made the big move to NYC to work at agencies specializing in Broadway Advertising & Live Entertainment. (Her favorite memory was being a seat filler for the Tony Awards and being onstage during a nominated shows performance during the live telecast!) After 4 years in the big apple, she visited Denver and fell in love. She decided to make the move across the country and the love story continues to this day. She was born, raised, and educated in rural Nebraska and has lived in Colorado for 7 years now. Brittany loves interacting with our members that are part of the schools in the small towns similar to what she grew up in, all the way to the bigger metro areas, and knowing everyone is working towards the same goal. When not working, she is cheering on her Huskers, working out, exploring an updated area in the Metro area, or in search of the best location for loaded nachos.

Email: Bgreunke@co-case.org

Ariana serves as our Manager of Communications and Marketing. Prior to working with CASE, she served as a Communications and Volunteer Manager at a local non-profit for kids and adults with disabilities. She is a CU Boulder graduate with a background in Strategic Communications and Peace, Conflict and Security Studies. She has had a wide range of experience including social media managing, website management, event planning, and copywriting. She is a Colorado native and has lived here for most of her life but took a detour to Texas for 7 years. She has been back in her home state for 11 years now and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. The advocacy and development that CASE does is what truly interested her in working with us. Her passion for accessibility and equity is what drew her to this role aside from the amazing team and mission. When she’s not working, you can find her at your local brewery with her partner and friends. At home, she has two cats that keep her company while she spends her time reading and writing.

Email: Afalco@co-case.org

Paul has a background in graphic design and received his degreee from MSU Denver. Before joining CASE, he held the role of a graphic artist at Whole Foods in Cherry Creek for 5 years. Paul currently lives in Denver, he has lived in Colorado since 1990 and grew up in Aurora. Prior to moving here, he lived in Atlanta, Georgia. He feels great about working for an organization that supports School Administration and Executives and promotes education. He has been on our team since the beginning of 2022 and we are very lucky to have his sharp eye and design expertise. When Paul isn’t working, you can catch him playing with his all-original local band at numerous venues around the Denver metro area and beyond.

Email: Pchristus@co-case.org

Savannah serves as our advocacy communications specialist. Before entering this role, she was the sole business reporter for the Denver Gazette. She previously worked for the Houston Business Journal, a part of the American City Business Journals, covering restaurants and retailers in the Houston area. Prior to that role, she was the community reporter covering northeast Houston for the Houston Chronicle. She gained hands-on experience through an internship at the Monterey County Weekly in California and her college newspaper, The Battalion. She is skilled in writing for a general audience, converting difficult-to-understand information into digestible content, and bringing a visual appeal to both an online and print platform. Savannah is an alumnus of Texas A&M University, where she earned her B.A. in journalism with minors in communication and environmental geosciences. CASE’s interest in making a difference for the students and educators of Colorado drew her to the organization. She followed the path of journalism to help others and saw that with CASE members and staff, this organization truly does make a lasting, positive impact on this state. Before moving to Colorado, Savannah lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Dallas and Houston, Texas regions. She resides in Aurora with her partner, their dog, and their three cats. When she’s not at work, you can expect she’s in the mountains hiking or trying out a newfound restaurant.

Email: Smehrtens@co-case.org

Info about Stacie coming soon!

Email: smancuso@co-case.org

Jeri Hodgson has served as the CASE Registration Manager since September 2021. Her experience working in education started immediately after graduating from California Lutheran University when she returned to her hometown and joined the Brush School District RE-2(J) staff in support of the Superintendent and Board of Education. While working with the district’s leadership team for nearly six years, she learned about the work of the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB). Jeri transitioned to working for CASB in the winter of 2000 and had the great pleasure of serving the association for nearly 20 years as the Director of Policy Services, and later the Deputy Executive Director. Upon leaving CASB, Jeri went to work for the 27J School District as a paraprofessional supporting special education teachers and their students. Although the work was highly rewarding and the students amazing, Jeri craved the statewide perspective once again and shortly thereafter joined CASE. She is a Colorado native, born and raised in rural Colorado, and currently lives east of Brighton with her teenage son and daughter and their dog Sammi.

Email: Jhodgson@co-case.org

Tracy Owen joined CASE as our Membership Manager in January 2024. Tracy has always enjoyed working with people and finds her professional joy in advocacy and service to the public. She graduated from the University of Colorado - Denver and began her first career as a Training Manager with a small software startup that served career services centers in colleges and universities throughout the United States. From there, she moved on to Community Outreach and Education for the Dumb Friends League followed by Member Education at Colorado PERA. She is thrilled to be able to work with public education employees once again! Tracy moved to Denver on a coin flip (true story!) in 2006 after growing up in Corpus Christi, TX and spending two ski seasons in Steamboat after high school. She misses her family and the beach but loves her life in Colorful Colorado. She has way too many pets, a very sweet husband, and a magical four-year-old who all keep her laughing. You can usually find her in her backyard playing with her plants or in a thrift store looking for midcentury treasures. She’s also a serious home chef and is happy to share her sourdough secrets!

I serve as CASE’s part-time Accounts Receivable Assistant. I am a Colorado native born and raised in the Morgan County area. I started in the educational field in 1990 as a classroom volunteer for my daughter’s kindergarten class. I enjoyed volunteering in the classroom so much, that I started substituting for the Brush School District RE-2(J). In 1992 I started a part-time position as a building secretary for one of the elementary schools, which later became a full-time position. Then, in 1998 I transferred to the district office and performed the duties of the receptionist. Also, that same year I received my Associate of Arts degree in education from the Morgan Community College. In 2000 I transferred to perform the duties of secretary to the superintendent of schools and board of education. I worked in this position for eight years. In 2008 after 17 years of service with the Brush School District RE-2(J), I resigned from my position. That same year my husband and I decided to move to Denver to be closer to our daughter and son. In July of 2008, I started a position at the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) as their executive assistant in the policy department. In 2020 after 12 years of service, I retired from my position at CASB. In December of 2022, I decided to join the CASE team. My husband and I still live in the Denver area and enjoy spending time with our family.

Elisabeth Rosen has been CASE’s contract lobbyist since 2010, with nearly twenty years’ political and lobbying experience. She has strong relationships with Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike, and is widely held in high regard at the Capitol for her hard work and professionalism. Viewed as the go-to resource among policymakers for public education issues, Elisabeth is strongly committed to advancing the interests and priorities of K-12 and helping legislators understand the challenges and realities our schools and districts face.

Info coming soon!

Cheri is a visionary, bilingual education executive with 20+ years' of experience in education and 5+ years' of experience in consulting. She is a strategic systems thinker adept at planning and facilitating complex initiatives.Cheri grew up in Colorado's public education system and is a product of both the urban and rural schools she attended across Colorado. She knows firsthand the struggles of at-risk students and uses this lens to guide her work.   As a former teacher, assistant principal, principal, central office administrator, and the former Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), Cheri has a proven track record of successfully leading and facilitating teams in collaborative projects at the state and local level.