ABOUT THE IMPACT TEAM learning education

La Dawn Baity served for over 35 years in urban public schools as a teacher, literacy

coach, elementary math coordinator, staff developer, principal, and principal supervisor.

La Dawn retired as an Instructional Superintendent with Denver Public Schools. In that

role La Dawn supported the professional learning, systems implementation, and

leadership development of principals and their Instructional Leadership Teams in

Southwest Denver. During her tenure as an Instructional Superintendent, La Dawn

supervised and coached the teams at three schools as they moved out of turnaround

status on the state accountability report.

After retiring, La Dawn worked as an Adjunct Trainer for the New Leaders organization

primarily supporting programs to extend the learning and leadership development of

Principal Supervisors. She has coached and supported principal supervisors in The

School District of Philadelphia, East Texas Schools, and in the Oakland Unified School

District.

La Dawn was a principal for 9 years in Denver Public Schools. In her last three years,

she took over a K-8 turn-around school in Northwest Denver. The school moved out of

turnaround, achieved exceptionally high growth scores, and was honored by both the

Colorado Department of Education and the Denver Public Schools Board of Education

for their achievements.

Tanya has been an educator for over 35 years in rural, suburban, and urban school

districts. She has worked at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She has

served as a teacher, special education director, staff developer, principal, and principal

supervisor.

In her last role as a public-school educator, Tanya was an Instructional Superintendent

with Denver Public Schools, supervising schools and school leaders designated with

turnaround status. In that role, Tanya was responsible for supporting the professional

learning and leadership development of principals and their Instructional Leadership

Teams. She collaborated with schools in the development and implementation of

instructional infrastructure systems. Tanya is proud that during her tenure as an

Instructional Superintendent, all the schools Tanya supported moved out of turnaround

status.

Upon retiring, Tanya was privileged to work as an Adjunct Trainer for the New Leaders

organization, supporting principal supervisors, principals, and Instructional Leadership

Teams. She facilitated professional learning and on-the-ground coaching to

professionals in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, California, and Washington State.

In her spare time, Tanya enjoys watching any sporting event, whether on television or in

person, hiking, kayaking, and traveling. However, spending time with her husband

Mitch, their three adult children, and their five grandsons brings her the most joy!

Cristina is a Consultant with The Impact Team.  She recently completed a 30-year career at Denver Public Schools (DPS).  She served as an Instructional Superintendent for six years, leading a 20-school network in Southwest Denver.  Most recently, Cristina led the Alternative Principal Licensure Program in the same school district.  Throughout her career, Cristina has served as elementary school principal, assistant principal, and instructional coach.  Under her leadership, Knapp Elementary School was twice awarded the Colorado Centers of Excellence Awardby the Colorado Department of Education. Originally from Argentina, she has proudly served Bilingual Schools and supported Biliteracy throughout her career.  She currently resides in Colorado with her family.

I have loved every step of my journey in education, 34 years and counting.  I was a classroom teacher for 15 years, teaching 1st-6th grade.  I have also served as a literacy specialist, instructional coach, and staff developer.  From my first year of teaching, I was actively involved in school and district committees, always seeking to be a learner and a leader.  I have been an assistant principal, principal, and instructional superintendent.  I believe our children deserve our very best every day and that our educators, at every level, work incredibly hard. 

Lisa Masias Ruiz was born and raised in the small town of Rocky Ford, Colorado. She is a committed and experienced leader who is passionate about education, learning, and the power of teams to dismantle inequitable systems.  She has over 30 years of experience in public education and began her career as an early childhood teacher.  In addition to being a teacher, she also served as a college instructor, elementary principal, English Language Acquisition Director, and instructional superintendent.  She specializes in literacy and leader & team development.  

John Youngquist is a devoted career educator who has served children in the Denver metro area for over 35 years.  He has worked many jobs that a school district has to offer, including custodial sweeper, counselor, high school teacher, middle school dean, elementary and high school principal, director of principal talent management, assistant superintendent, and chief academic officer.  Currently, John is the Chief Operating Officer of the Denver Youth Program, Secretary of the Denver Public Schools Board of Educations, president of PrincipalEd Consulting, and 1st Grade Volunteer at Hallett Academy.  John holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado. He spends his favorite moments with his wife, Denise, and two daughters, Cristina and Gabriela. Scott Wolf has been working in education since 2002 when he started with the Chicago Public Schools.  He then taught 2nd grade and 4th grade in San Jose, California, before coming to Denver to work as the Managing Director of Teacher Leadership Development with Teach For America.  Scott joined Denver Public Schools (DPS) in 2013 and was principal at North High School until his role as Director of Operational Services for DPS.  In his time at North, he brought the graduation rate above the district goal of 85% with a dropout rate under 1%, showing that all students were intentionally supported in post-secondary programs.  These positive results led North to double its enrollment from 779 students to over 1600 students to truly become a community school.  In addition to strong academic growth, North was a national visitation site for Restorative Practices, was a teacher training academy site due to the strength of instruction within each class, and focused on holistic education for all students, as evidenced by Scott being named the Colorado Music Educators Association Honored Administrator of the year in 2018.  As Director of Operational Services, Scott was awarded the 2023 Kudos Award for receiving more positive feedback for his support than any other employee in the district. When Scott is not working, he enjoys reading about the airline industry and spending time with his amazing family.