Colorado Association of Latino/a Administrators and Superintendents
LA LUZ DE LIDERAZO - A MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT
April 2023
Welcome to the CO ALAS Membership Spotlight. Each month we introduce you to one of our many CO-ALAS members. Let’s see what they are doing and what’s on their mind!
This month we are featuring Dr. Denine Echevarria, Instructional Coach and Assessment Coordinator for the Boulder Valley School District.
Denine shares her professional career and current bio below. You can read the diverse experiences that have led to her various leadership roles. One of our shining stars!
Career Highlights & Education
Dr. Echevarria is an Instructional Coach and Assessment Coordinator in Boulder Valley School District. She formerly served as a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education Coordinator in Adams 14 Schools and has 16 years experience as an English Language Development teacher in Adams 12. Because of her Puerto Rican heritage, she is passionate about linguistic equity issues. Dr. Echevarria holds a Professional Principal License and has experience in district administration and school based-leadership. She has also been the recipient of several awards and grants, including the AD12 Innovative Learning Grant, the Spring Institute Cultural Grant and has been nominated for the Hispanic Advisory Council Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award and the Denver Broncos Game Changing Teacher of the Year. In addition to her grant and award achievements, she has presented at the Colorado Association of Gifted and Talented Conference, the Highway 21 Conference, the CO-CABE Conference, CO-ALAS Conference and the Latina Leadership Conference. She is passionate about the underrepresentation of multilingual learners in Gifted Programming.
What is exciting about my job? My job is exciting because I have constant opportunities to grow. After 16 years of teaching English Language Development, making the transition to math has allowed me to learn new curriculum and standards. As a school leader, I have many opportunities to collaborate and learn the process of leading teams. In my role as an assessment coordinator, I try to bring excitement to testing through celebrations, activities and more. Seeing our students smiling and engaged warms my heart and gives meaning to the daily work I do. Advice you would give a new superintendent or school leader: Give yourself grace and patience. As I have grown in my leadership journey, I have made several mistakes along the way. Recognizing those mistakes, repairing damage and then letting go has been essential to my well-being.
Also, get out of your office and go hang out with kids! Nothing turns a day around like a class full of 5th graders thinking you are in your 20s!
If you catch me outside the office, you’ll find . . . ...me gardening, camping or cooking. With equity being a central part of who I am, you will also see me advocating for marginalized populations. My biggest achievement in life was being a single mom, working 3 jobs and completing my Doctorate. You will see me volunteering with a local single moms group and promoting the STRIVE Single Moms Education Award in my free time. How does CO-ALAS add value? CO-ALAS has been central to my growth as a school leader. Although I’m not where I’d like to be yet…I can attribute most of my growth in the past 2 years to CO-ALAS. I graduated from the 4-Corners Leadership Academy and during my time in the program I had leadership training, mentoring and networking opportunities. Since then, I serve as a delegate and help plan large events like the Latina Leadership conference and the CO-ALAS Annual Leadership Conference. Working on teams to plan these events enriches my life and adds value. I've not only found friends in CO-ALAS, but also familia!