About

Great Education Colorado is a statewide, nonpartisan, grassroots organization that is focused on improving education in Colorado through wise, increased investment in our schools, colleges and universities.

Staff

Liane Morrison, Executive Director

Liane is a graduate of Colorado College and has a Master’s Degree in economics from George Washington University.  Her involvement in the public sector most recently developed new markets for environmental technology in developing economies.  As an international economist at the Department of Treasury, Liane served as the country officer for Latin American and Eastern European countries. A mother of two children in the public schools (ages 11 and 14), Liane’s concerns about Colorado public education resulted in her co-founding the Great Education Colorado Fund. email

Lisa Weil, Director of Policy and Communications

A graduate of Greeley Public Schools, the University of Colorado, and the Yale Law School, Lisa has been a public interest attorney and political consultant. She served as Policy Director and Chief Legal Counsel for former Governor Roy Romer, and as a Legislative Aide to former Senators Timothy Wirth and Bob Kerrey. She managed the first Congressional campaign of Representative Diana DeGette, and has served as a consultant on a wide variety of research and campaign projects. The mother of two children (9 and 12), Weil was closely involved in the creation and passage of Amendment 23, and co-founded Great Education Colorado. email | twitter

Patty Bortz, Metro Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator

A graduate of Littleton Public Schools, the University of Colorado, and the University of Denver Law School, Patty has been an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.  She served as a staff attorney for the Alabama Supreme Court and then became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.  She also served as Assistant General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and was the director of that agency’s legal training program.  She has two children who have been in the public school system for a combined twelve years. email

Eric Mills, Technical Director / Webmaster

Eric has designed ESL curricula for the University of Wuhan in China, was a professor of American Literature at D’Youville College, and he has edited manuscripts for MIT press. Eric has a Master’s degree in American Culture & Literary Theory from the University at Buffalo and a BA in Continental Philosophy. He works as a theorist of new media, advising non-profits and consulting for local “2.0″ directories. Most recently, Eric has consulted for Singapore Telecom, European directories, and together with his team built the prototype for dexknows.com. He’s seriously afraid to send his children to public school in Colorado. email | home

Casey Shea, Research/Community Partnerships Coordinator

A Jeffco Public School graduate, Casey attended Northwestern University where she received a B.S. in Social Policy. Casey served as the Co-chair of the Undergraduate Lecture Series on Race, Poverty, and Inequality, a learning sciences research apprentice, and intern at the Chicago educational organization Designs for Change.  She also worked as a fellow at El Pomar Foundation, contributing to the Foundation’s grantmaking, helped manage the Central Peaks Regional Council, worked in the Communications Office, and developed new business and media partnerships for the Empty Stocking Fund. email

Eva Cherin, Organizational Coordinator

Eva holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy.  She spent a number of years conducting psychological research in both medical and school settings. More recently, she has been involved in project-based, non-profit consulting in Colorado, where she has lived for the past 16 years. Eva is also the mother of two children ages 9 and 14. email

J. Skyler McKinley, Online Organizing Director

A Colorado native, Skyler managed communications for the Presidential campaign of former US Senator Mike Gravel. He’s consulted on political campaigns across the state and nation, and has most recently served as a Legislative Aide to State Representative Andy Kerr. Featured in The Colorado Statesman, The New York Times, Newsweek Magazine, and Politico, Skyler has produced online videos that have been viewed over 3,000,000 times on YouTube alone. He works as a political consultant focusing primarily on the integration of new and social media into effective grassroots strategies. email | twitter | dotcom