Emily Biederman
To say that Emily is part of a family dynasty at Foothills Academy puts it mildly. Emily joined the board in 2005, nine years after graduating from Foothills Academy’s upper school. (She belonged to the school’s first group of students to finish the full upper school program, and her sister graduated from Foothills two years later). Her mother worked both as a teacher and as an administrator at the school for 20 years, and her father served as a teacher at Foothills for 10 years. Emily went on to earn a B.A. and an M.A. in International Studies, as well as an International M.B.A.—with all of the degrees from the University of Denver. Former Foothills board chair Bob Van Wetter asked her to join the board as an alumni representative, and thanks to her academic and professional skills she brings leadership, marketing, and financial experience to the board. In addition to her role as alumni representative, she also serves as co-chair of the succession committee.

Leslie Burkholder
Leslie was invited to join the Foothills Academy board at the start of the 2008–09 school year. She is the parent of two children, both of whom attend Foothills. She has a B.S. in Mathematics from Colorado State University, and anticipates completing her Masters in Nonprofit Management through Regis University in 2009. Leslie started her career as a public high school teacher and athletics coach, and she has worked in the nonprofit sector for the past twenty years. For the last ten years she has owned and operated a consulting firm that specializes in working with nonprofit organizations. Leslie brings this experience to her participation on the board—specifically as chair of the marketing committee and a member of the governance committee.

Terri Cooper
Terri is the board president of the Foothills Academy Board of Trustees, and previous to that role she served as both board Secretary and vice president. When she was asked to join the board in the fall of 2006, the school’s “Strategic Plan” had recently been completed, and the thought and care put into that plan piqued her interest. With a B.S. in economics from Purdue University as well as experience in organizational management and implementing strategic plans at the corporate level, she was eager to bring her skill set to the board. She is currently vice president of CSG Systems, and is responsible for that company’s Infrastructure and Data Center. Throughout her professional life, her roles and responsibilities have included developing and managing large organizations, process development, financial management of multi-million-dollar budgets, and project management in all aspects of Information Technology. The part of her work that she enjoys most is leading organizations, helping them to navigate complex and difficult change, and guiding them in new directions at the appropriate time.

Jess Dauchy

Jess is a former Foothills Upper School math teacher who joined the board this past fall and serves on the board's marketing committee.  She's currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business and is particularly interested in the strategic growth and development of small schools.  Jess was recently granted an Education Pioneers Fellowship. As a Fellow, she'll spend this upcoming summer in Boston interacting with leaders in urban education reform while consulting on a mission-critical project for a partner school, district, or education organization.    When not studying, Jess still enjoys taking time for tele-turns with the FA ski club at A-Basin and plans on climbing with the MS rock-climbing club this spring.

Michael Huwaldt
As the parent of twins currently attending Foothills Academy, Michael’s introduction to the school’s board of trustees came in 2005, after volunteering a few hours each week to help with building and grounds maintenance at the school. The current chair of the buildings and grounds committee, Michael brings expertise drawn from his career as a structural engineer. With both a B.S. and an M.S. in civil engineering as well as professional engineering licenses in 11 states, his professional experience includes participating in facility appraisals comprised of condition assessments, short- and long-term repair and improvement planning, priority planning, and long-term cost projections.

Charlie Lockhart
Charlie’s experience in engineering, architecture, and maintenance made him an obvious choice to serve on the board’s buildings and grounds committee. Katherine Hobart, a former board vice-chair, asked Charlie to join the board in 2004­-05. Charlie’s experience in building and grounds maintenance, along with a profound dedication to the school, made him want to address building repairs that were needed on campus. With associates degrees in both architectural drafting and electronics, Charlie served as a building engineer for a commercial property company and maintained four high-rises and a large office building. For the last decade he has run a remodeling contractor service. Charlie is the parent of two daughters currently attending Foothills Academy.

Greg Porter
Possessing both a legal and a financial background, Greg was an obvious choice when he was asked to serve on the board in 2008. With a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Juris Doctor degree from Cornell University, he practiced law for more than 10 years, serving both large law firms and working as a senior corporate executive. For the last five years, he has been the Chief Investment Officer for an asset management firm. He is the parent of two children currently attending Foothills Academy.

Leslie Schaus
After doing the tax returns for Foothills Academy for six years, Leslie was invited to be the board’s treasurer in 2007. She currently serves on the board’s executive and finance committees, and the financial expertise she brings to her work with the Foothills board is the result of her career as a certified public accountant and years of academic rigor in the accounting field. Leslie has a B.B.A. from the University of Denver, an M.B.A. in accounting from Regis University, and a Masters in Tax degree from the University of Denver. Considering her background, it’s hard not to believe her when she says that she “loves numbers.” Her two children currently attend Foothills Academy.