Our Team
Our team is our most valuable asset! We are proud to have a talented team of experts who are deeply committed to ensuring all Coloradans with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities & Complex Communication Needs have access to the resources and supports needed to lead an independent and fulfilling life.
We're Hiring!
〰️
Real Life Colorado is seeking our next Executive Director.
〰️
We're Hiring! 〰️ Real Life Colorado is seeking our next Executive Director. 〰️
Staff
Joy Knox
Interim Executive Director
Michelle Pescovitz
Director
Michelle has been a Special Education Teacher for 15 years! She has taught students with all abilities and disabilities from preschool through 6th grade. Michelle moved to Denver in 2016 and received her Masters in Special Education with a focus in coaching and leadership from University of Northern Colorado.
Michelle brings a passion for providing structures and supports to ensure that all staff and students are confident in their unique skills and have everything they need to be successful. She enjoys traveling, dogs, trying new restaurants and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Gretchen Storm
AAC program Coordinator
Gretchen is a certified speech-language pathologist in the Denver Metro Area. She received her Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Purdue University. She worked in the public schools for 13 years and was a therapist at Adam's Camp for many consecutive years. Her specialties are in the areas of Apraxia and AAC.
When Gretchen is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, being active, and traveling.
Casey Coppola
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER & Behavior Interventionist
Casey began working in the field of special education as an intern at a school for students with Autism in 2016 and has since then worked as a paraprofessional, behavior technician and special education teacher. Casey has worked at a wide variety of specialized facility schools, public schools, and ABA clinics, with students ranging from preschool to high school age.
Casey graduated with her masters in Special Education from Purdue University in 2020, and is currently enrolled at The University of Colorado Denver working on her masters in ABA in hopes of becoming a BCBA.
Casey is passionate about providing her students with the tools to thrive in the world around them. During her free time, Casey loves cuddling with her dog Leonard and hiking the beautiful Colorado mountain ranges.
Rachel Jensen
SPecial Education Teacher
Rachel was born and raised outside of Chicago and moved to Denver in 2022. She teaches special education and is committed to creating inclusive, student-centered learning environments where all learners feel valued, supported, and capable. Her work focuses on meeting students where they are, honoring different ways of learning and communicating, and building confidence through meaningful, accessible instruction.
Rachel is passionate about advocating for students with disabilities and believes that teaching is a shared learning experience with students and teachers learning from one another. Outside of teaching, she enjoys reading, camping, paddle boarding, and spending time with her dog, Gryffin. She is also a lifelong Chicago sports fan, and can always be found cheering on the Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks.
Kelly McKinney
SPecial Education Teacher
Kelly has been a Special Education Teacher for 13 years. She has taught students with a variety of skills and abilities from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Kelly recently moved to the Denver area 2 years ago, but has also taught in Illinois, Arizona, and Oregon.
Kelly received a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. She is dedicated to forming meaningful connections with students in order to make learning engaging and at the appropriate level.
Along with teaching, Kelly also has also coached Special Recreation basketball to adults in Illinois and mentored for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program in Central Oregon. She enjoys road trips, hiking with her dog, and spending time with family and friends.
Kelsey Sipka
Speech-Language Pathologist
Kelsey is a certified speech language pathologist from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She earned a B.S. in Communication Disorders from Central Michigan University in 2017 and an M.S. in Speech Language Pathology from Bowling Green State University in 2019. After completing her education, Kelsey relocated to Denver, Colorado to begin her career. Her professional focus is AAC and she has experience working with complex communicators of all ages, from young children to adults.
Kelsey is passionate about working with those with disabilities and empowering them to find their voice. She enjoys traveling, going to concerts and snuggling with her cats in her free time.
Allison Romito
Speech-Language Pathologist
Allison was born and raised outside of Philadelphia and moved to Colorado in 2022. She received her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology at Misericordia University and has been a therapist for 9 years.
Allison has worked in outpatient clinics and an autism specific clinic with children who have a wide range of communication needs. She is passionate about AAC, helping children find their voices and engage with others around them. In her free time, Allison enjoys swimming, doing yoga, traveling, spending time with family and friends and baking sourdough bread.
Dana Hanson
ParaProfessional
Dana has a long history of working with children in special education. She has worked in both elementary and middle school settings. Dana also enjoys teaching gymnastics!
Dana brings a long list of strengths to our program including meeting kids where they are at and interacting with positivity, respect, and individualized support for each of our students. We are so excited to have Dana as a part of our team!
Lily Holwerda
ParaProfessional
Lily grew up in Texas and earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Texas Woman’s University in 2021. She has a strong background working with children, including experience as a nanny and as a Registered Behavior Technician at an ABA center supporting children with ASD, developmental disabilities, and behavioral disorders.
After moving to Colorado, Lily chose to further focus her career on creating meaningful opportunities for children’s communication within her field. She is currently continuing her education by pursuing a master’s degree in Special Education with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis at Arizona State University while working.
Lily brings positivity, creativity, compassion, and support to the workplace. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, attending concerts, and relaxing at home reading while cuddling with her two cats.
Clint Eckstein
ParaProfessional
Clint has spent the last 20 years teaching and working with youth in various capacities. After graduating from University of Nebraska, he spent two years working in separate AmeriCorps programs in Boston and Boulder. He pursued his M.Ed at the University of Toronto, and has taught middle school and high school in both rural Japan and Dubai.
After returning to Denver, he taught 6th grade English Language Arts at Highline Academy, and was a high school English teacher at Lookout Academy, a youth correctional facility. Before his time at the Learning Zone, he previously worked with non-speaking youth with autism as a paraprofessional in the ILC program at Cherry Creek High School.
When he’s not working at Learning Zone, he enjoys doing CrossFit, coaching CrossFit, hiking, biking, hanging out with his family and two dogs, and taking advantage of all the outdoor activities that brought him to Colorado.
ADDITIONAL PARTNERS
-
Lauren Hirsch
AAC SPECIALIST - STORM LLC
-
Kate Johnson
AAC SPECIALIST - STORM LLC
-
Barb Taylor
SPED DIRECTOR - CATALYST ED
-
Rebecca Urbano-Powell
BCBA - 7 DIMENSIONS
-
Cory Marchi
PANORAMA PSYCHOLOGY
“We are blessed to have such dedicated staff that know our kids can be successful. To see our son have the excitement to go to school every day makes all the difference and it is because of this staff and the programming.”
— Learning Zone Parent