Board of Directors
3 months ago
February 2021-June 2024
board.sarahoates@rossmontessori.org
Sarah Oates has worked at Oates, Knezevich, Gardenswartz, Kelly & Morrow, P.C. since 2009 in the primary areas of legal, due diligence of land use, and real estate. Growing up in Aspen and having worked in the local government and non-profit sectors before becoming a lawyer, Sarah has an extensive understanding of the local community. Sarah also has strong local ties to Aspen. Sarah has served on the RMS board in the past and provides us with a community member's outlook.
January 2022-June 2025
board.kristindavis@rossmontessori.org
Kristin has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for the past 21 years. She and her husband Joe have two children: a Ross alum high school son and a lower el daughter. Kristin received two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Management and Marketing. Since attending Texas Lutheran University, she has pursued the entrepreneurial path and owned and operated a small appliance company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for seven years. She then moved to Aspen and began her career at Bishop Plumbing and Heating in 2001. Now the owner, she brings the experience of leadership and vision and has an extensive background in accounting, performing all financial duties for the company. She has continued management training throughout her career. Kristin brings board experience, having served on the Blue Lake Preschool board for several years. She volunteers as a former hockey player and a Grizzly Hockey team manager for her son's team. She heads up the training for new managers and coordinates goalie training sessions. It is rumored that she always gets in 10,000 steps a day, sometimes more. She has also volunteered at Ross, most recently as an Annual Fund captain.
June 2023-May 2026
Tina is dedicated, open-minded, and hardworking. She has worked as a retail/property manager for the past seven years and has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for 20+ years. She speaks three languages fluently and has co-owned her husband's landscaping business for 15 years. She previously dedicated herself professionally to early childhood development for a career as it was and still is her passion for helping young children. When Tina’s second child was diagnosed with Autism, her life changed drastically, and she had to leave the job of caring for the youngest to support him more. Tina’s objective is to contribute within her possibilities to the positive development of children in the Ross learning community. She is a proud parent of a current Ross student and wants to spread the word that Ross Montessori is a public charter school that does not charge tuition.
June 2023-May 2026
Jen is a flexible, versatile, and efficient self-employed business professional of over 20 years. In a business such as bookkeeping, no two clients are the same, and she inspires them to adjust and adapt the required skills to match the client with their business needs. Jen successfully guides and supports businesses from construction and Property Management to Retail and Real Estate. Her son attended Ross Montessori for a while and is now a Basalt Police Department officer. Jen has lived in the valley since the late 1990s and is excited to provide financial governance for the Ross Montessori School.
May 2021-June 2024
board.andrewkarow@rossmontessori.org
Andrew is the Chief Digital Officer at Alpine Bank and part of the five-person Senior Executive Team responsible for all aspects of Alpine Bank's more than 130,000 customers and 800+ employees. Andrew’s experience includes leadership development strategy, corporate governance, compliance, and change management. He has extensive experience serving on various local boards since 1996 and was appointed to serve as a board member of the Charter School Institute in Denver by the Governor. He was awarded the 2021 Founder's Day Award and is the dad of a Ross graduate.
May 2021 - June 2024
board.robnelson@rossmontessori.org
After earning a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry, Robert completed the Physician Assistant program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. In addition to seeing patients for primary care and wellness visits, his clinical focus is caring for people with diabetes. He is board-certified in Advanced Diabetes Management and provides patients with various solutions, including insulin pump management and continuous glucose monitoring. Robert also functions as Valley View's Executive Director of Quality and Patient Safety and is committed to providing patient-centered care. His family is Robert's priority outside of work, and they enjoy Colorado's many outdoor activities.
June 2022 - June 2025
board.michelleskagen@rossmontessori.org
Michelle is the mother of a Ross graduate and an upper-elementary child at Ross. She is delighted to serve as a board of directors member with a unique educational background. Her belief in experiential education began when she built trails for ten summers in the City of Boulder Mountain Parks, both as a Junior Ranger and Senior Ranger. This, combined with a life-altering service trip to Nicaragua, led her to study social justice in education after graduating with a bachelor’s in Sociology. She became an educator for Girls Leadership, an instructor for World Leadership School, and a volunteer at St. Vrain Montessori. She is a graduate of Roaring Fork Leadership and works to advocate for the homeless in the Roaring Fork Valley.
