Office of School Safety Staff

2024 Office of School Safety Overview Document

Director

Christine R. Harms, M.S., 303-912-6915 - christine.harms@state.co.us

Chris is a Pennsylvania native and former public school teacher, private school administrator, psychotherapist and trainer with over 30 years experience working with youth, professionals and parents in schools, private practice and victim serving agencies. Her undergraduate degrees are in psychology and education and she earned her Master of Science degree in counseling and human relations from Villanova University. Chris has taught at the pre-school and elementary school levels.

Chris has trained professionals on such issues as violence prevention, school-based crisis response, adolescent trauma, sexual harassment and misconduct, suicide intervention, and mandated reporting of child abuse. She is the former training coordinator for the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) and has taught victim studies at the University of Northern Colorado. Chris has training from the US Department of Homeland Security, the Boston Trauma Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

Manager of the School Safety Resource Center 

Margaret M. Ochoa, J.D., 720-415-0575 - margaret.ochoa@state.co.us

Margaret Ochoa, J.D., is the Manager of the CSSRC. She previously worked as the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Specialist for the Center, where she provided training and resources for school personnel, students, and their communities to identify, prevent, and respond to sexual abuse and assault. She has trained thousands of youth-serving professionals on understanding and responding to the sexual behaviors of children, identifying and responding to sexually predatory behavior, satisfying statutory obligations to report abuse, preventing juvenile sexting and relationship abuse, preventing targeted violence, and related topics.

Previously, Ms. Ochoa worked as an Assistant County Attorney in Jefferson County, Colorado.  She was primarily responsible for dependency and neglect proceedings, and advised the Department of Human Services in every aspect of child protection. She earned her law degree and her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Grants Unit Manager

Charli Pringle-North, M.P.H., 720-656-5864 - charli.north@state.co.us

Charli is a South Carolina native who joined the Office of School Safety from the Department of Homeland Security, Grants Management Office. With over 10 years of experience in grant administration with expertise across the lifecycle of an award, Charli has extensive knowledge in federal, state, and private grants and grant processes. She earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the College of Charleston, and her Master of Public Health from Grand Canyon University.

Crisis Response Unit Manager

Kati Garner, M. Ed., 303-909-3672 - kati.garner@state.co.us

Kati obtained a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming as well as a Masters of Education in School Counseling and Licensed Professional Counseling from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She has worked as a teacher, school counselor and district administrator before joining the Colorado School Safety Resource Center in 2019 as the Northwest Regional Training Consultant. She recently became the Crisis Unit Manager for the Office of Schools safety where she helps support schools and districts across Colorado through crisis planning, response and recovery.

Colorado School Safety Resource Center Manager 

Margaret Ochoa, J.D., 720-415-0575 - margaret.ochoa@state.co.us - See bio in the top section of the page

Emergency Response Outreach Consultant

Brad Stiles, M.A., 303-349-1549 - brad.stiles@state.co.us

Brad Stiles is a Colorado native, having lived in different communities along the Front Range and foothills areas. Brad served for 8 years in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman, performing a range of duties from patrol supervisor and squad leader to tactics instructor. After combat deployments to the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, all from Ft. Hood, TX, Brad returned home in 2006, joining the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office as a Deputy Sheriff. During his time with the Sheriff's Office, Brad was able to complete a B. A. in Criminal Justice, as well as a M.A. in Emergency and Disaster Management, from American Military University.

During his employment with Jefferson County, Brad was selected to serve as a Field Training Instructor, a Crime Scene Technician, as a member of the Honor Guard, as an Academy Instructor and as a member of Mobile Field Force Team 6, utilized during crowd control situations. Brad was also selected to become a member of the Jefferson County Incident Management Team (Type 3), serving in the Plans section as a fully trained Resource Unit Leader and Status Check/In Recorder. Brad was deployed with the JEFFCO IMT for the Lower North Fork Fire, the Bluebell Fire and the Colorado Floods of 2013.

School Outreach Consultant

Cary L. Lynch, MA, EdS, NCSP, 720-498-9645 - cary.lynch@state.co.us

Cary Lynch was born in Omaha, NE and moved to Colorado during high school. Besides residing overseas briefly, Colorado has been considered home since then. She is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) with close to 20 years of educational experience working at the school and district levels with both charter and traditional public schools as a school psychologist, behavior specialist, and administrator.
Prior to working in the education field, Cary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  After a few years in the engineering and software industries, she attended graduate school at the University of Northern Colorado earning her Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in School Psychology.  Most recently, Cary completed a Master’s degree in Leadership for Educational Organizations at the University of Colorado in Denver. Through the Colorado Department of Education, Cary is licensed as a Special Service Provider and a Principal.

Regional Training Consultant (Southeast - Colorado)

Kelly S. Addington, M.A., 720-908-5069 - kelly.addington@state.co.us

Kelly Addington was born and raised in Southeastern Colorado and returned after a few short stints in Northern Colorado, New Mexico, and Georgia.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Northern Colorado and her teaching endorsement from Adams State College in Alamosa.  She taught secondary Science, Physical Education, and secondary Language Arts over a period of 16 years before obtaining her master’s degree in School Counseling from Adams State University.  After working as a school counselor for six years at La Junta Jr/Sr High School, she began a career as a School Health Professional with Santa Fe Trail BOCES, servicing multiple school districts in Southeastern Colorado with the implementation of social/emotional and substance use preventative education to students, staff, and families. Kelly is also a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer. 

As the Southeast Regional Training Consultant for the CSSRC, she is available to meet the needs of school personnel assisting in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all types of emergencies and crisis situations. She can help provide resources and training to foster a safe and positive environment for schools. Her training repertoire includes:

• Youth Mental Health First Aid
• PREPaRE I & II
• ASIST
• Safe2Tell
• QPR
• Handle With Care

Kelly is available to review, assist in selecting, develop and provide physical and psychological safety resources and training to school personnel in the Southeastern Region of the state.

Regional Training Consultant (Eastern - Colorado)

Mike Vagher, M.A. Ed., 719-349-1544 - mike.vagher@state.co.us

Mike Vagher, is a Colorado native who grew up in Cedar Rapids, IA. After graduating high school, he attended Buena Vista University and obtained a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. He then moved back to Colorado to teach physical education at Lake County Schools in Leadville, CO. Mike taught PE for 3 years before obtaining his Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from Adams State University. In his fifteen years of experience in education, he has been a classroom teacher, athletic coach, instructional coach, assistant principal, athletic director, administrator, principal, Title IX coordinator, director of safety/security, chief operations officer, and superintendent.  He most recently worked as the Superintendent of Cheyenne County School District where he oversaw operations and policy implementation for the district. 

As the Eastern Regional Training Consultant for the CSSRC, he is available to meet the needs of school personnel assisting in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all types of emergencies and crisis situations. He can help provide resources and training to foster a safe and positive environment for schools.

Mike is available to review, assist in selecting, develop and provide physical and psychological safety resources and training to school personnel in the Eastern Region of the state.

Regional Training Consultant (Northeastern - Colorado)

Chelsey Lehmkuhl, 720-822-2858 - chelsey.lehmkuhl@state.co.us

Chelsey Lehmkuhl was born and raised in Northeastern Colorado. She received her bachelor's degree in Sociology and a minor in Psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She started her career in child abuse prevention and continued her prevention work with school-based body safety programming and parenting education classes in Northern Colorado. After moving back to her hometown in Sterling, Colorado, she accepted a position with Northeast BOCES as a School-Based Mental Health Coordinator for multiple school districts in Northeastern Colorado, implementing social/emotional and preventative education to students, staff, and families. After working for NE BOCES, she began working at RE-1 Valley School District as a social-emotional learning specialist.

As the Northeastern Regional Training Consultant for the CSSRC, she is available to meet the needs of school personnel providing resources and training to foster a safe and positive environment for schools. 

Regional Training Consultant (Northwestern - Colorado)

Kelly Donnelly, M.Ed kelly.donnelly@state.co.us

Kelly Donnelly has been an educator for the past 20 years, working in the Aspen and Roaring Fork School Districts as a school counselor at various middle and high schools. Kelly completed her undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Wanting to escape midwest winters, Kelly attended Colorado State University to obtain her Master's degree in School Counseling. After graduating in 2002, Kelly moved to Basalt and has been in the Roaring Fork Valley since. Kelly is a lifelong learner and earned her Educational Leadership License from the University of Denver in 2018. Kelly has been a crisis counselor for MindSprings Health and led the RFSD mental health team. Kelly is passionate about the mental well-being of school staff and students.

In her free time, you might find Kelly hiking or skiing the area mountains. She loves to travel and lived in Venezuela for 3 months as a Rotary Club Ambassadorial Scholarship recipient. Kelly is married and has twin teenage boys. You will often see Kelly cheering her kids on the sidelines of sporting events. If Kelly wasn't supporting schools, she thinks she would be a great 911 operator.

Regional Training Consultant (Southwestern - Colorado)

Amy Miglinas, MA, Ed.S., 720-768-9531 amy.miglinas@state.co.us

Amy Miglinas, a Michigan native, has called southwest Colorado home for the past 25 years. Amy has dedicated her career to improving the educational landscape for students and school staff alike. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Western Michigan University, a Master's degree in School Counseling from Adams State University, and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Northern Colorado.

With over 17 years of experience in education, Amy has excelled in various roles including teacher, school counselor, and high school principal. Her areas of passion encompass positive school culture, proactive systems, crisis management, and recovery.  In her free time, you will find Amy at Bayfield Cross Country and Track meets cheering for her son, in the lodge at Purgatory waiting for her family to finish on the slopes, and always up for a hike in the Weminuche Wilderness Area.

Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Specialist

Jae Dee Wood, MPH, 720-591-6869 - jaedee.wood@state.co.us

Jae Dee Wood joins us after obtaining her Master’s degree in Public Health at the Colorado School of Public Health in May 2023. She aims to create better prevention, intervention, and healing for survivors of sexual assault from a public health lens. She believes by looking upstream at social determinants of health and shared protective factors we can as a community prevent sexual assault.

After finishing her year of service with AmeriCorps VISTA in 2018 at a community-based domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center, she dedicated her career to serving survivors. She has spent the last 5 years in direct service alongside survivors of sexual assault on their healing journeys.

Jae Dee always focuses on scientifically accurate and trauma-informed practices in her training work. Jae Dee graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Arkansas in 2015. Jae Dee enjoys being outside in Colorado as much as possible by hiking, skiing, and camping.

Resource Specialist

Melissa Rubeo: 303-253-0621 - melissa.rubeo@state.co.us

Melissa Rubeo joined the Center in February 2017 from the Department of Regulatory Agencies. She provides a wide variety of general support for the Center and staff, including ordering of office resources, planning for meetings and trainings, creating materials, maintaining communication with the Listserv members, and supporting the Center's fiscal accountability through budgetary management.

Program Assistant

VACANT

Crisis Response Unit Manager

Kati Garner, M. Ed., 303-909-3672 - kati.garner@state.co.us - See bio in the top section of the page

Crisis Response Specialist

Jenny Mills, M.A., LPC, 720-822-2861 - jennifer.mills@state.co.us

Jenny Mills is a Colorado native raising her four boys in the Rocky Mountains. She has spent 14 years in private practice primarily treating victims of traumatic crimes. Jenny has a strong passion for implementing trauma-sensitive care and providing access to mental health support in our Colorado schools. In addition to private practice, Jenny spent the last 6 years as a mental health provider in a local K-12 charter school along with her therapy dog, Scarlet. 

Crisis Response Specialist

Brandi Vos, Ed.S., NCSP, 720-822-2885 - brandi.vos@state.co.us

Brandi is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist with 20 years of experience in schools.  Brandi has an Education Specialist degree in School Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.   She has led and participated on crisis teams in the Denver Metro area for the entirety of her career.  She is a Crisis Response Specialist for the Colorado Office of School Safety Crisis Response Unit helping schools review, assist in selecting, developing and providing crisis response resources, training and response assistance.  Brandi is a National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)’s PREPaRE (I and II) Certified Trainer.  As a Colorado native, she loves the mountains and hanging out with her daughter, reading, photography, and learning about new things.

Crisis Response Specialist

Leah Lefever, LCSW, 720-768-8399 - leah.lefever@state.co.us

Leah was born and raised in Kansas and moved to Colorado 20 years ago. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who obtained her Masters of Social Work from Campbellsville University.  She has worked in various roles throughout her career including child protection, forensic social work, crisis response, and education.  While working in education, Leah had the opportunity to manage a team of mental health professionals and educate staff on developmental trauma, demonstrating how this knowledge can enhance their effectiveness in working with students both inside and outside the classroom.  As a Crisis Response Specialist, Leah is able to assist schools in crisis management, providing crisis response training, and assisting in crisis response.  

Grants Unit Manager

Charli Pringle-North, M.P.H., 720-656-5864 - charli.north@state.co.us - See bio in the top section of the page

Grants Unit Staff

Chamone Jones, 720-822-2955 - chamone.patrick-jones@state.co.us

Denver native Chamone Jones is a proud alumna of the HBCU Lincoln University of Missouri.
Post-college, Chamone embarked on her career in juvenile justice, gradually advancing through a series of promotions to specialize in program compliance and pre and post grant functions. Chamone is a passionate and dedicated professional with a career focus on ensuring equitable services for local communities. 
Chamone possesses experiences collaborating with various funding sources and regulatory agencies, including but not limited to HUD, the Department of Education, as well as local funding entities such as Marijuana tax revenue and public safety funds.
Chamone is actively  engaged in various community organizations and brings a unique blend of skills, creativity, and leadership to every endeavor. 
In her free time, Chamone enjoys spending quality moments with family, indulging in creative crafts, and embracing new and spontaneous adventures.