Board of Directors
19 days ago
Kristen Davis, President
Kristin has lived in the Roaring Fork Valley for over 20 years. She and her husband, Joe, have two children: a Ross alumnus, a high school son, and an upper elementary 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. The owner brings experience in leadership and vision, and has an extensive background in accounting, handling 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. It is rumored that she always gets in 10,000 steps a day, sometimes more. She has also volunteered countless hours as a Ross Montessori volunteer.
Darin Dickins, Secretary
Darin is an enthusiastic and positive local business leader with over 20 years of experience in Entrepreneurship and Business Management. He works with local tradespeople, encouraging and helping them grow and develop as business owners. He and his family moved to the valley in 2016 and are fortunate to call it home. Darin's daughter started kindergarten at Ross Montessori and is currently in the second grade. Darin is excited to contribute a high level of business acumen and thoughtful leadership to the Ross Montessori community.
Kara Gallagher, Vice President
Kara is a managing director at Baker Tilly US, LLP, covering healthcare IT practices. Baker Tilly is a nationwide CPA advisory firm. She has been responsible for all aspects of the practice's operations and hiring since 2013. Her experience includes employee attraction and retention, training and development, performance management, benefits, and compensation. Before joining Baker Tilly, Kara was a Human Resources Manager for the Idaho National Laboratory, a 6,000-person, federally funded energy research facility. She also possesses prior experience as a middle school math and science teacher in Salem, MA. Kara and her family have lived in Carbondale for eleven years. Her son is a high school student who attended Ross Montessori from grades 1 to 8. Kara previously served as the secretary and president of the RMS PTO.
Courtney Little
Courtney has a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications with a minor in Elementary Education from Drake University. She grew up in Colorado Springs, and her mom is a retired Speech Pathologist. After working as a human resources business partner for Pitkin County, she became the human resources director for Mountain Valley Developmental Services in Glenwood Springs. As a non-profit that serves kids and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Ross Montessori's employment of individuals in our services sets the gold standard for community inclusion. In Courtney's current role at Mountain Valley, she is responsible for having in-depth knowledge of employment law, compensation, benefits administration, terminations, and performance management for over 150 employees. Her twin daughters started Ross in Kindergarten and are currently in the 5th grade. Courtney enjoys living and working in the Roaring Fork Valley and has been with her husband and twins for over 12 years. Courtney serves on the Board of Directors at Coryell Ranch and looks forward to bringing her experience to the Ross Montessori School's Board of Directors.
