The Learning Source : Staff

The Learning Source for Adults and Families is administered by a group of qualified adult education professionals, who give support and training to the field staff and volunteers. The field staff consists of lead teachers and instructors who are experienced in adult education theory and methodology. Our commitment to traditionally under-represented groups, such as women, minorities, and all age ranges is high, as is apparent from both our administrative and field staff. The Learning Source's rich mix of employees reflects its equal opportunity employment philosophy.

	SUSAN LYTHGOE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, has a Bachelor's degree with honors in English, and has completed the Initial Certification Program with the University of Denver, Graduate School of Education. She is an alumnus of the 1992 Denver Community Leadership Forum. Ms. Lythgoe has consulted in the planning and implementation of high-risk youth, family and adult education programs nationwide, and has directed programs in the Denver metro area for the past eleven years. She joined the staff of The Learning Source as Curriculum Coordinator in January, 1991 and has served as Executive Director since 1993. She has served as Chair of the Colorado Adult Literacy Commission, and was a member of the 1998 Mayor's Human Investment Task Force for the City and County of Denver. She currently serves as a member of the Verizon Literacy Campus Advisory Panel, Advisory Panel member of the Toyota Family Literacy Project, member of the Board of Directors of the Alameda Gateway Community Association, and the Advisory Board of the Family Literacy Alliance in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1995 she received the "Distinguished Leadership Award" from the Colorado Association of Continuing and Adult Educators, and in 2002 she received the Lay Award from both the High Plains and University of Denver Chapters of Phi Delta Kappa International. Ms. Lythgoe is responsible for the overall operations of The Learning Source as well as fundraising, and public relations. Email: Susan@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	NITA BRATT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, PROGRAMS has a Bachelor's degree in education and the social sciences and a Master's Degree in Political Science. Her work and volunteer experience is in adult education, battered women's shelters, teen mother programs and the public schools. She joined The Learning Source in 1990 and administered the homeless shelter program for four years before overseeing the family literacy program for two years. She began her responsibilities as Assistant Director in 1998 and, as such, oversees program implementation, planning and reporting. In 1993, Ms. Bratt received the U.S. Department of Labor Outstanding Teacher Award for her work with Denver's homeless families. Nita became a state assessment trainer in 2004. Email: Nita@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	ANDREA MARTINEZ, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, is bi-lingual (English-Spanish) and is a past GED graduate of our programs. She began working for The Learning Source in 1991 as a clerical aide at one of our neighborhood learning centers. Since then she has had several positions with the agency including data entry clerk and pre-school teacher and trainer. After learning the field of adult education and family literacy, she is currently responsible for the oversight of the Family Literacy programs. As such, she trains teachers and volunteers and supervises staff. She oversees the implementation and ongoing development of curriculum and instructional standards. Email: Andrea@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	PAMELA COLE, Program Director, Aurora Literacy Initiative, Pamela has a Bachelors degree in Business Management and a Masters in Education, both from Regis University . She began working for the Learning Source in 2002 in the evening ESL programs in Aurora and later joined the staff of the Family Literacy Program. In her current position she oversees the Aurora Literacy Initiative that consists of three evening ESL programs that partner with the Aurora Public schools to offer English classes to the parents of their students, ESL and GED classes to adults on the east side of the metro area in partnership with Community College of Aurora at the Lowry Campus and English conversation classes in partnership with the Aurora Public Library. Email: Pamela@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	SARA MOLDEN, Belmar Family Literacy Coordinator, has an undergraduate degree in History and a Masters degree in Ecology. She is fluent in Spanish, and has both traveled extensively and lived in other countries. She began teaching ESL as a volunteer in the Colorado Refugee ESL program in 1992, and has taught both adult education and elementary school ESL since then through Jefferson County Schools, the Stein Neighborhood Resource Center, and currently for The Learning Source. Sara has been active in Family Literacy Programs since 1997 and has been the coordinator of the Belmar Family Learning Center since 2001. She is responsible for coordinating all components of the Family Literacy Program in Lakewood. Email: Sara@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	MICHELE SHORT, Neighborhood Centers Program Director, has an undergraduate degree in Business and a Masters degree in Education. She began teaching ESL in Asia in 1995 and traveled extensively throughout South Korea and Japan. After spending a few years working in marketing, Michele found her way back to education. She has been actively teaching ESL and GED at numerous locations in the Denver metro area since 2004, including The SPOT, Community College of Denver, and Teikyo Loretto Heights University. Michele joined The Learning Source in July, 2007 and is responsible for supervising and training teachers and volunteers, developing curriculum and professional development, and administering student testing. Email: Michele@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	THOMAS OATTS, Volunteer Recruiter, has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Marketing Management and On-Line Systems. Tom has been involved with The Learning Source since 1988 while working as an Aerospace Engineer for TRW. After retiring in 1996, Tom joined the Learning Source team as a volunteer tutor. Since 1998 he has worked in several capacities. Initially Tom was a Lead Teacher at the Denver County Jail, Goodwill Industries, and at the Lowry Redevelopment Association (LRA). In his current role as Volunteer Recruiter he recruits volunteer tutors by developing and fostering community partners throughout metro Denver . Tom also helps with tutor orientation, tutor training, provides appropriate placement of volunteers, and eases their transition to their assigned agency sites. Email: Tom@ColoradoLiteracy.org
	TARA VINLOVE, Program Director, Cherry Creek Family Literacy Center, Tara Vinlove received a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Spanish from the University of Iowa in 1999. She was inspired by a professor in college to study abroad in . In , she not only learned Spanish, but how to appreciate diversity and culture. Tara started her professional life in Human Resources at a company in Chicago . She left business to try her hand at education by teaching English in . She found her passion in educating adults, researching, and learning more about ESL strategies and theory. She started with the Learning Source in 2004 with the Aurora Family Literacy Program at Jamaica Elementary (now Peoria Elementary). As Program Director at the Cherry Creek Family Literacy Center , she oversees the daily operations of this K-12 family literacy center and coordinates the services with the school district. She looks forward to continuing to grow as a family literacy professional while educating and learning from families. Email: Tara@ColoradoLiteracy.org