Governance

Leslie Bogar

Leslie Bogar, M.Ed., is the Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Boards, where she leads the design and facilitation of customized professional learning for school board members across Colorado’s 178 school districts. With more than 20 years of experience in education and organizational leadership, she brings extensive expertise in board governance, strategic planning, leadership development, and adult learning. She is skilled at creating engaging, practical training that helps governance teams strengthen relationships, clarify roles, and translate effective governance practices into meaningful results for students and communities.

Leslie works with school boards in:

• Defining roles and responsibilities between the board and the superintendent
• Establishing board norms
• Updating the district vision and mission
• Establishing goals based upon board self-assessment results

Matt Cook

With over two decades of Colorado public education experience, Matt Cook partners with school boards to strengthen governance practices, build community outreach, and foster strong board-superintendent relationships. Matt served eight years on the Aurora Public Schools Board (five as President) and as President of the CASB Board of Directors, successfully guiding superintendent hires and major local bond campaigns. As a certified Policy Governance practitioner, his approach is rooted in servant leadership. He stands ready to work alongside your board to deliver the governance tools needed to ensure great outcomes for Colorado students.
Contact Matt: mcook@casb.org

Hilary Daniels

Hilary serves as Policy Counsel for the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), focusing on developing, editing, and updating school district policies to ensure legal compliance and support seamless implementation across Colorado’s 178 school districts. In her role, she also develops legal resources designed to give school board members a strong foundational understanding of the laws and legal requirements that guide their service. Before joining CASB, Hilary spent five years as a kindergarten teacher, an experience that continues to inform her work and provides a firsthand understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Colorado’s public schools.
Contact Hilary: hdaniels@casb.org

Kristina Gutierrez

Kristina is the Senior Policy Specialist at the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), where she supports members with a wide range of school board policy needs. Her expertise focuses on the development and maintenance of school board policy, as well as Policy Governance.

Prior to joining CASB, Kristina served as a Professional Development Specialist in a large urban school district in Texas, where she supported educators working with Emergent Bilingual Learners. She also brings more than 10 years of experience in elementary education, providing her with a strong understanding of the instructional and operational needs of school districts.
Contact Kristina: kgutierrez@casb.org

Monica Johnson

Monica Johnson is an accomplished public education leader with more than 25 years of experience serving as a principal, superintendent, accreditation team leader, and President of CASE. She is passionate about helping school boards and superintendents build strong governance, financial acumen, strategic vision, and positive organizational cultures that improve student outcomes.

Monica works with school boards in:

• Executive mentoring and leadership development
• Succession planning and leadership pipelines
• Building high-performing leadership teams
• Strengthening trust and collaboration
• Budget adoption and financial literacy