Lisa Almeida is the Director of Certification. Lisa is responsible for all tasks associated with the Certification Program. Certification's primary focus is to build capacity within a system to successfully implement and sustain the important work of educators. Additionally, she spearheads The Center's internal certification program that enables us to meet the needs of clients. Lisa wears dual hats, which enables her to continue to work with practitioners. As Distinguished Professional Development Associate, she supports clients and their certified instructors.

Prior to working with us, Lisa was a client of The Center's, which resulted in her being a certified instructor for a large, urban school district. As a district coordinator, Lisa supported colleagues in the implementation of priority standards, assessments and data-driven decision making.

Lisa is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education with a specialization in adult learning.  She graduated from the University of Nebraska in Omaha with a Master of Science in Educational Administration and The College of Saint Mary with a teaching degree.

Away from work, Lisa loves spending time with her family in the hill country of Texas.  She, her husband and their “boys” (a Golden Retriever and a Labrador-mix) enjoy boating, camping and relaxing at home. The family always looks forward to the fall—go Huskers, go Longhorns and go Cowboys!!!  Although she resides in the middle of Longhorn country, Lisa’s heart remains with the Nebraska Cornhuskers!

Nancy Harshman is our Administrative Coordinator.  Nancy answers all incoming calls, performs all office supply ordering and is responsible for all incoming and outgoing mail, including international shipping.

Nancy's background includes ownership of her own private investigation business as well as being a secret shopper.

When she's not spending time with her 5 children and 11 grandchildren she can be found reading true crime/mystery novels.  Her hobbies include gardening (flower) and creating stained glass that she sells at art shows.

Kendra Hockenberry is a Professional Development Coordinator for the client relations team at The Center.   She offers support to clients and contributes to the team by completing daily administrative tasks.  Her bubbly personality is a wonderful addition to the Client Relations team and her energy is felt throughout the Denver office.

Born in Michigan, Kendra made her roots in Colorado nearly five years ago and has loved every minute of being here. After studying psychology through Arapahoe Community College, Kendra soon found her passion for teaching and was a special educational assistant with the Douglas County school district for two years.  She loves teaching children and making an impact in their lives.

During her free time, Kendra enjoys shopping, being with friends and family, attending church, listening to country music and trying to keep her mischievous dog, Charlie, out of trouble.

Herb Miller is Director of Client Solutions, where he helps to ensure The Center is meeting client needs and acting as a resource for the Client Relations Team.

Herb is originally from Worcester, MA and earned a B.A. from Brandeis University and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.  Herb moved to Colorado in 2004 to help create a public-private partnership to increase college access at low performing schools, and also recently was Membership Director at Eduventures, an educational research and consulting firm.

Herb is very excited to be a part of The Center team.  In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his wife and son, playing tennis, and during football season, cheering on the Buffalo Bills to eventually win a Super Bowl.

Scott is a Professional Development Coordinator at the Leadership and Learning Center. After graduating from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies, Scott relocated to Denver and began his career in the recruiting industry.  He is excited for the opportunity to assist and support the Client Relations team.

When he is not busy explaining the differences between Iowa, Ohio, and Idaho, Scott enjoys spending time with friends and family and taking advantage of all that Colorado has to offer.  He loves traveling back to Iowa City to attend Hawkeye games at legendary Kinnick Stadium and is slowly adjusting to the superiority of Denver’s professional sports teams.

David Pilgrim is a Professional Development Coordinator with The Center. After spending four years in San Diego, CA and graduating from the University of San Diego in May 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, David decided to move back to colorful Colorado and pursue a career in the place he calls home.  David is excited about the opportunity to work for such a great company.

In his free time David enjoys hanging out with friends and family, listening to good tunes and staying active in Colorado’s beautiful outdoors.  Dave also enjoys watching the Colorado sports teams dominate (most of the time)…

Molly is a graduate of Georgetown University with a B.S. in International Business and Marketing with an Italian minor.  She comes to The Center from Eduventures, an educational research and consulting firm, where she was a Membership Director working primarily with Chief Academic Officers and Deans of Schools of Education.

Molly is originally from Longmeadow, MA and moved recently to Denver from Boston after spending eight years living in Washington, DC.  She was attracted to the beautiful mountains of Colorado and loves being able to ski as much as possible.  When not on the slopes, Molly enjoys cooking, reading, running, and travel.  Molly is very excited to be a part of The Center team!

Erin Clark is the Logistics Manager for The Center. She spent five fantastic years at Virginia Tech and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management and Psychology, and a minor in Sociology.

After graduation, Erin moved to Colorado to nurture her love of the outdoors.  She worked in finance and pharmaceutical sales prior to coming to The Center, where she is now excited to work for a company that truly makes a difference in children’s lives.

In her spare time, Erin enjoys pretty much anything outside, including taking her incredibly energetic dogs to the park, snowboarding, ultimate frisbee, bike riding, hiking … and of course, long walks on the beach.  She also loves to watch football and cheer on the Hokies and Steelers.

Katie Stoddard is the Publishing Manager at The Leadership and Learning Center. In this role, Katie is responsible for coordinating and managing all of the publications and training manuals. She also works with current and prospective authors to guide them through the publishing process.

Katie is originally from the Chicago area, and earned her B.A. in English from Western Michigan University. She moved to Denver six years ago and earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver. She has a background in writing/editing, teaching, and educational publishing. In her free time Katie enjoys skiing, running, reading, and cheering on her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs!

As the Lead Events Manager, Megan plans and manages all Center-sponsored institutes, summits, seminars, and certification trainings. She loves planning events and is thrilled to be part of the team at the Center.

Originally from Saratoga Springs, New York, Megan received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and a masters from Arizona State University. After leaving Kentucky, Megan moved west where she worked as the Events Manager at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona for the past six years.

Megan enjoys travelling, spending time with her friends, family and two dogs and supporting the Duke Blue Devils, UK Wildcats and the Phoenix Suns. She loves spending time outdoors and is really enjoying all of the activities that Colorado has to offer.

Cindy is the Accounting Assistant at The Center.  She is one of those "rare" Colorado natives and couldn't imagine living anywhere else.  Cindy graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 1981 with a degree in Elementary Education.  She tutors in the evenings and finds it very rewarding — especially when working with the No Child Left Behind kids.

Cindy lives in the Columbine area and has two wonderful teenagers, Nicole and Tim. She enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, reading, listening to music, and spending time with her children.

Margaret is the Client Relations Administrative Assistant account executives Liz Monsma and Kennie Swanson. Margaret’s main responsibilities are to support the team with ongoing data entry, order entry, file and contract organization and many special projects. Margaret has a strong client and team focus and can be counted on for getting the job done!

Margaret has a B.A. in Business Administration from Marymount Manhattan College. She has considerable administrative experience within the financial and healthcare fields. Born and raised in the northeast, Margaret moved out to Colorado for the change of pace and stayed to explore everything that the western U.S. has to offer. She enjoys road trips, hiking, reading, rooting for the Rockies and Avs and just hanging out with her husband and cats!