Hello + Goodbye

Let's get more DPS students traveling.

HELLO (Hola)

Please join us in welcoming our new Executive Director, Lauren Imola. Lauren has worked as a Marketing Contractor since February and has already made a significant impact at the DCIS Foundation. Her corporate partnership program and new ideas for scholarship processes will be in place soon.

“Travel changes the way young people see the world and their place in it. It teaches what books can’t, builds curiosity and empathy, and shows us that the world is both bigger and more connected than we imagined. You don’t have to go far to expand your world; you just have to begin. My passion is making sure more DPS students get that chance.”

Lauren is a marketing and business leader who speaks fluent Spanish and has a background in consumer packaged goods and nonprofit organizing. She holds a Bachelor’s in Management from Purdue University. Originally from Canada, Lauren spent her teenage years in Colorado and later married a native Coloradan. She and her husband have a small zoo at home with two dogs, two cats, and a son (who, respectively, have traveled with them locally, domestically, and internationally). Travel has been a through line in Lauren’s life; she will never tire of it, it deepens her connection to the world and its people, and it has shaped who she is today.

A bright addition to the officer team is Christina Brady, who will be taking over as Treasurer from long-time beloved board member Bob Bresnahan.

Fluent in Spanish, Christina has been using data to tell stories and solve business problems for over a decade. Christina joined the board in January 2026.

Before that, she worked in International Development and taught English as a Second Language. She has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in International Development from the University of the Basque Country. Christina has lived in Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Panama; she has also traveled extensively in South and Southeast Asia and Europe.

New board member Erin Goff has been instrumental in helping young people travel for many years. She is a travel enthusiast and advocates for young people traveling as a part of their educational experience. She joined the board in July.

Erin is an attorney and government affairs strategist with more than 25 years of experience in public policy, legislative advocacy, and legal counsel. Principal at HB Strategies, advising clients on matters concerning housing, land use, public finance, public safety and criminal justice, municipal law, and more. Erin has deep experience navigating complex regulatory and legislative environments, along with active board and council leadership in professional and philanthropic organizations. She will be a great addition to our board.

BOARD MEETING. The board team met for its annual board retreat and strategy session in late August. Topics included changes to scholarship application deadlines, school and student travel support, and board recruitment. If you are interested in learning more about us and joining this fun, smart, and engaged group, CLICK HERE.

GOODBYE (Tschüss)

Executive Director Theresa Meier Conley is leaving the DCIS Foundation.

Over seven years, she navigated COVID travel restrictions, launched an online scholarship portal, refreshed the Foundation’s marketing, website, and brand identity, elevated the annual Gala, and helped the Foundation adapt to a changing landscape within Denver Public Schools. At the heart of it all was her love of what travel can mean to a student.

“Travel makes humans better. It does. Just get out there; it doesn't have to be far away or exotic, but explore and love the world around you.”

A nonprofit marketing scholar, Professor Emeritus at the University of Denver, and former high-tech product development executive, Theresa has spent much of her life exploring how travel and intercultural experiences can expand the way we see the world. Her experiences have included living with a family and attending high school in Düsseldorf, Germany; teaching at the University of Bologna, Italy; and traveling with college students to China, Denmark, and Sweden. She’s looking forward to more adventures with her husband, Jeff, her adult children, Lauren and James, and her mother, Shirley.

With German-American roots, Theresa says farewell and sends her best wishes to the many wonderful people she’s met along the way, "Tschüss!"

SUMMER TRAVEL

Fresh off the plane and full of new ideas and stories, we look forward to hearing all about the summer travel for the two student groups shown below. The DCIS Foundation helped make these trips possible. Hey, let's get more DPS students traveling! Agree?

GROUP SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS OPEN SOON. Check the website for more details.

You can donate anytime to our cause. Click Here.

GERMAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM

East High School; Educators Marshall King and Audrey Maddox