FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 23, 2019

Cheri Wrench Named as next Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Boards

DENVER — The Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Cheri Wrench as Executive Director effective following its next Board of Directors meeting. Wrench currently holds the position of Executive Director of Access, Competency and Engagement (ACE) in Denver Public Schools.

“After a comprehensive national search and thorough candidate interviews, the CASB Board of Directors unanimously agree that Ms. Wrench is the right person to lead the organization and capitalize on the opportunity to nimbly serve school boards with innovative programs and services,” said Kathy Gebhardt, CASB President. “The Board took a thoughtful approach that our members, staff and partners expected and deserved.”

Wrench has in-depth experience in education, as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal and for the last six years leading teams with 450+ employees and a budget of $29 million encompassing Academic Portals, Competency Based Learning, Educational Technology and Library Services, and Extended Learning and Community Schools. She has a proven track record of building effective systems and structures to support students, teachers and school leaders.

Wrench will succeed CASB Executive Director Ken DeLay who is retiring after leading the organization for the past twenty years. DeLay is only the third full-time executive director of CASB since the Association’s founding in 1941. He has written and spoken frequently on education and fiscal issues, worked with individual boards, and has been a leading voice in the debates that have shaped Colorado education in the 21st Century.

Based on her experience, passion and skills, Wrench will continue to build on the strong traditions and integrity of CASB. "I am so honored and excited to lead a visionary organization that supports school boards across the state of Colorado,” said Wrench. “I will use my extensive leadership and background in education and finance, combined with my passion for public education, to advance the work of CASB. I know the importance of advocacy and how educational policy directly impacts the success of our students in the classroom. I want to leverage this knowledge to advance excellence in public education by supporting our locally elected school boards."

“I’m looking forward to our membership getting to know her,” said Monica Peloso, CASB President-elect and Chair of the Search Committee. “The more they know of her, the more they will admire her and appreciate the broad range of experience and expertise she brings to CASB.”

CASB is the only statewide organization that advocates for school board leadership in Colorado. It works to promote the interests and welfare of Colorado’s 178 school districts. CASB uses its expertise and collective state presence to provide cost-effective services and information to enable locally elected boards of education to operate efficiently and effectively in an increasingly complex and resource-challenged environment.

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CASB is a Colorado nonprofit organization whose members consist of local boards of education throughout Colorado and whose mission is to advance excellence in public education through effective leadership by locally elected boards of education. CASB represents and advocates for more than 1,000 school board members and superintendents statewide.