Faculty Bios
Lori Ryan is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Education and Human Development. Lori centers her work within early childhood contexts and educational leadership environments, with a commitment to equitable and inclusive practices that promote, in partnership with early childhood communities, a strong image of children, families and professionals as co-constructors of their own learning stories. Within each unique context Lori’s teaching, research, and coaching is focused on building the capacity of her students, early childhood professionals and the children with whom they work.
As co-director and faculty of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program, Lori leads an annual grant project where a cohort of graduate fellows engage in transformational learning to co-create opportunities with Colorado’s children and families. In this work she co-leads and co-researches leadership learning design principles that support social constructivist learning experiences. She also serves as lead faculty in CU Denver’s Master’s degree partnership with Boulder Journey School, as a participating sponsor of the Foundation Loris Malaguzzi in Reggio Emilia, and on the advisory board of the Ph.D. program in Reggio Child Studies with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. .
Lori has been a member of the early childhood field since earning her doctorate from the State University of New at Buffalo where she studied infant toddler education. From the early 1990s-2009 Lori served as the Pedagogical Coordinator and Director at Clayton School District’s Family Center, one of the three schools of the St. Louis-Reggio Collaborative. Personally, Lori spends her time walking outside, practicing yoga, chatting with friends and enjoying meals with family members who include her husband of 35 years and her two sons, daughter-in-law and young grandchildren, all who live close to her in Denver.
As co-director and faculty of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program, Lori leads an annual grant project where a cohort of graduate fellows engage in transformational learning to co-create opportunities with Colorado’s children and families. In this work she co-leads and co-researches leadership learning design principles that support social constructivist learning experiences. She also serves as lead faculty in CU Denver’s Master’s degree partnership with Boulder Journey School, as a participating sponsor of the Foundation Loris Malaguzzi in Reggio Emilia, and on the advisory board of the Ph.D. program in Reggio Child Studies with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. .
Lori has been a member of the early childhood field since earning her doctorate from the State University of New at Buffalo where she studied infant toddler education. From the early 1990s-2009 Lori served as the Pedagogical Coordinator and Director at Clayton School District’s Family Center, one of the three schools of the St. Louis-Reggio Collaborative. Personally, Lori spends her time walking outside, practicing yoga, chatting with friends and enjoying meals with family members who include her husband of 35 years and her two sons, daughter-in-law and young grandchildren, all who live close to her in Denver.
Wendy Allen is the community-based Co-Director of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program at Clayton Early Learning in partnership with University of Colorado Denver’s School of Education and Human Development. Wendy has been engaged with the project since 2006 through a variety of leadership roles. Currently in this work she co-teaches graduate courses and co-researches leadership learning design principles through an ongoing process of socially constructed pedagogy with early childhood professionals.
As the mother of two young boys, Wendy continuously explores the tensions and possibilities of centering families. Outdoor play-time, music, reading, and ‘science experiments’ with her family and friends fills her life with joy and learning. Through both her teaching and parenting experiences, she has deepened her commitment to embracing asset-based community engaged leadership practices. She joins her graduate students in the shared study of the ecologies where children and families live, learn, and generate knowledge together.
Wendy has a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Her dissertation topic was on how social capital has a unique role in professional development settings for early childhood professionals. In addition, Wendy has also contributed to multiple state and national presentations and publications ranging in issues from pedagogy as it relates to student’s sense of safety, on teacher change as a result of teaching for transformation, or regarding adult leadership learning in the field of early childhood. Wendy has a Masters in Child, Family, and School Psychology from the University of Denver emphasizing early childhood systems and policy and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado.
As the mother of two young boys, Wendy continuously explores the tensions and possibilities of centering families. Outdoor play-time, music, reading, and ‘science experiments’ with her family and friends fills her life with joy and learning. Through both her teaching and parenting experiences, she has deepened her commitment to embracing asset-based community engaged leadership practices. She joins her graduate students in the shared study of the ecologies where children and families live, learn, and generate knowledge together.
Wendy has a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Her dissertation topic was on how social capital has a unique role in professional development settings for early childhood professionals. In addition, Wendy has also contributed to multiple state and national presentations and publications ranging in issues from pedagogy as it relates to student’s sense of safety, on teacher change as a result of teaching for transformation, or regarding adult leadership learning in the field of early childhood. Wendy has a Masters in Child, Family, and School Psychology from the University of Denver emphasizing early childhood systems and policy and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado.
Rebecca Vlasin is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Colorado-Denver. Rebecca has been teaching and leading within inclusive community-based early learning contexts for over 25 years. She gets a special joy and fulfillment from engaging with infants, toddlers and their families and leaders working within these contexts. Rebecca is also the parent of an autistic teenager and a current college senior. She lives in Boulder with her family where they enjoy hiking, cooking, gardening and relaxing at home.
Rebecca’s creative and scholarly interests include exploring the potential of embedded professional learning that humanizes and honors the rights of children alongside the voices of educators, families and communities. Her academic work is community-engaged and partnership driven, with a current focus on an initiative with several early learning programs in Colorado to co-create a place-based Bachelor’s Degree pathway to address the structural inequalities and barriers to access that disproportionately affect early childhood educators. Rebecca is also actively engaged with leading concurrent enrollment pathways for first generation students interested in early childhood education. She has been a member of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program faculty and design team since 2013. Her executive experience includes two decades of strategic and day-to-day leadership within Clayton Early Learning where she enjoyed partnering to create meaningful early learning programming, training, coaching and evaluation services across Colorado. She holds a Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity P-20 from CU Denver. Rebecca grew up in rural southwest Nebraska and worked at the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University prior to moving to Colorado in 1998.
Rebecca’s creative and scholarly interests include exploring the potential of embedded professional learning that humanizes and honors the rights of children alongside the voices of educators, families and communities. Her academic work is community-engaged and partnership driven, with a current focus on an initiative with several early learning programs in Colorado to co-create a place-based Bachelor’s Degree pathway to address the structural inequalities and barriers to access that disproportionately affect early childhood educators. Rebecca is also actively engaged with leading concurrent enrollment pathways for first generation students interested in early childhood education. She has been a member of the Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program faculty and design team since 2013. Her executive experience includes two decades of strategic and day-to-day leadership within Clayton Early Learning where she enjoyed partnering to create meaningful early learning programming, training, coaching and evaluation services across Colorado. She holds a Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity P-20 from CU Denver. Rebecca grew up in rural southwest Nebraska and worked at the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University prior to moving to Colorado in 1998.
Kia joined Clayton in the fall of 2020 as the Executive Director of Educare Denver at Clayton Early Learning. Kia is an experienced teacher, school leader, and coach, and is deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for staff, children, and families. Kia’s primary goal as an educator has always been to lead with intentionality and innovation to increase equity of access to high quality supports, resources, and opportunities so that educators can focus their daily work on tackling persistent problems of practice and ensuring high-quality, transformational learning opportunities for each student served in a nurturing, equitable, rigorous environment.
As the leader of the school, Kia sets the vision and strategy, oversees classroom operations and family engagement, all within a lens of continuous improvement to build upon Clayton’s national recognition for excellence in the field of early childhood. Previously Kia worked in Denver Public Schools, most recently as a school principal and believes deeply that educators are the best innovators. Having led in an innovation school and the first DPS innovation zone, Kia thrives off of innovation and thinking about possibilities. During her tenure she also led the school to become a Trauma Informed School where leaders, educators and families consistently were praised for showcasing that education in any sense is not a one size fits all practice. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Midland Lutheran College, a Master’s of science in curriculum and instruction from Peru State College, and a master’s of arts in administrative leadership and policy studies from the University of Colorado Denver.
Kia is excited about the opportunity to learn and lead alongside her graduate students as they engage in the daily work and advocacy of early childhood education.
As the leader of the school, Kia sets the vision and strategy, oversees classroom operations and family engagement, all within a lens of continuous improvement to build upon Clayton’s national recognition for excellence in the field of early childhood. Previously Kia worked in Denver Public Schools, most recently as a school principal and believes deeply that educators are the best innovators. Having led in an innovation school and the first DPS innovation zone, Kia thrives off of innovation and thinking about possibilities. During her tenure she also led the school to become a Trauma Informed School where leaders, educators and families consistently were praised for showcasing that education in any sense is not a one size fits all practice. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Midland Lutheran College, a Master’s of science in curriculum and instruction from Peru State College, and a master’s of arts in administrative leadership and policy studies from the University of Colorado Denver.
Kia is excited about the opportunity to learn and lead alongside her graduate students as they engage in the daily work and advocacy of early childhood education.
My name is Sena Harjo (she, her, hers). I am an active member of the Seminole, Choctaw and Creek tribes. I was born and raised here in Denver Colorado, earning every bit of my experience as an urban Indian. Walking in 2 worlds, that more often than not have been at war in history, doesn't make surviving as an Indigenous Woman in the city easy. And yet... here I am.
Currently, I hold a position at Clayton Early Learning as a Child Family Educator where I provide educational and family resources to Early Head Start students and families. I have held this position for 9+ years, bridging the classroom to the home for young learners and their families. I have also been dabbling in the world of teaching higher education for the past few years by co-teaching courses and tending to guest speaking arrangements.
I am a few long blinks away from completing my dissertation for my PhD at UCD in the SHED Urban Ecologies program. On the way to my doctorate, I earned a Masters in Early Childhood Education Administration and Leadership from DU, a Bachelors in American Indian Studies from HASKELL Indian Nations University, an Associates in Liberal Arts from HASKELL Indian Nations University, and an Associates in Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
My hope with education is to participate in a dialogue of learning and experiences that will help us all come to learn more than we already know. This hope will require us all to open up to each other, to be respectful of each other, and to push each other to critically think about how we can contribute to an educational process in a manner that is quality and meaningful.
Currently, I hold a position at Clayton Early Learning as a Child Family Educator where I provide educational and family resources to Early Head Start students and families. I have held this position for 9+ years, bridging the classroom to the home for young learners and their families. I have also been dabbling in the world of teaching higher education for the past few years by co-teaching courses and tending to guest speaking arrangements.
I am a few long blinks away from completing my dissertation for my PhD at UCD in the SHED Urban Ecologies program. On the way to my doctorate, I earned a Masters in Early Childhood Education Administration and Leadership from DU, a Bachelors in American Indian Studies from HASKELL Indian Nations University, an Associates in Liberal Arts from HASKELL Indian Nations University, and an Associates in Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
My hope with education is to participate in a dialogue of learning and experiences that will help us all come to learn more than we already know. This hope will require us all to open up to each other, to be respectful of each other, and to push each other to critically think about how we can contribute to an educational process in a manner that is quality and meaningful.
Christina (she/her) is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Clayton Early Learning. In this role, Christina coordinates the public policy efforts of Clayton, including legislative and regulatory advocacy, policy analysis, and research. Christina also co-convenes the Raise Colorado Coalition with partners at the Colorado Children’s Campaign and a steering committee of diverse stakeholders working to improve equitable public policies that impact pregnant people, expecting families, infants, and toddlers in Colorado.
Before working at Clayton, Christina was a policy analyst with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) in Washington, DC. At CLASP, her work focused on quantitative and qualitative analysis of data, state technical assistance, and federal and state policy analysis. Christina has expertise in home visiting, Head Start, state and federal child care assistance policies, and early education systems with an equity lens. She also previously worked on national and state early childhood and home visiting policy with the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Home Visiting Campaign and helped implement a Head Start preschool program with the District of Columbia Public School’s Office of Early Childhood Education.
Christina graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Baldwin-Wallace College and has a Master of Public Administration, concentrating in social policy, from Cornell University. She currently serves on the Young Professionals Council of the Rose Andom Center, supporting the center’s mission to serve survivors of domestic violence and their families, and as a volunteer advocate with The Blue Bench. Christina also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Thriving Families, a new nonprofit in Denver, CO, serving pregnant people and new families through training, peer support, and health care.
Before working at Clayton, Christina was a policy analyst with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) in Washington, DC. At CLASP, her work focused on quantitative and qualitative analysis of data, state technical assistance, and federal and state policy analysis. Christina has expertise in home visiting, Head Start, state and federal child care assistance policies, and early education systems with an equity lens. She also previously worked on national and state early childhood and home visiting policy with the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Home Visiting Campaign and helped implement a Head Start preschool program with the District of Columbia Public School’s Office of Early Childhood Education.
Christina graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Baldwin-Wallace College and has a Master of Public Administration, concentrating in social policy, from Cornell University. She currently serves on the Young Professionals Council of the Rose Andom Center, supporting the center’s mission to serve survivors of domestic violence and their families, and as a volunteer advocate with The Blue Bench. Christina also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Thriving Families, a new nonprofit in Denver, CO, serving pregnant people and new families through training, peer support, and health care.