Culture & Inclusivity

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  Director of Culture & Community

  Contact Collinus:
  Email or call 303-914-2590 
  
  Read More
  CA’s Director of Culture & Community provides leadership in areas of inclusive excellence, mentoring, support for students and families, and resource development for faculty and staff. 
  
  University of Illinois, Urbana, BS
  University of Colorado, MA
  At CA Since: 2022
  
  Collinus Newsome is an accomplished educational equity leader and a systems strategist, with a record of success in developing, implementing, and managing innovative strategic initiatives and programs. She has experience in both education and in nonprofit organizations, and she has spent time in both independent and public schools, having worked with Aurora Public Schools and also at Graland Country Day.
  
  Collinus is a relationship-focused leader who enjoys providing space for each other person and their lived experiences. Collinus believes that cultivating a mindset and disposition toward humility and empathy is critical in creating communities where everyone belongs.
  
  A Denver native, Collinus grew up in Northeast Park Hill. She has eight siblings, including a twin sister.
  
  At the age of 12, Collinus joined the Colorado Flyers Track club and became one of the nation’s top throwers in shot put. Collinus graduated from Denver South High School and earned a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois, Urbana, as a thrower on the track team. She was named the National Big 10 Freshman Athlete of the Year and went on to win seven Big 10 Championships in the shot put and earned six All-American titles. After graduation, Collinus attended CU Boulder and received her MA in Curriculum and Instruction. She began her teaching career at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in far northeast Denver and then spent nine years at Graland Country Day School as the diversity coordinator and ninth grade history teacher.
  
  Collinus has consulted for numerous independent schools across the country on their DEI frameworks, culturally responsive teaching, instructional coaching on habits of good teaching, and curriculum development. She has served as a co-chair for the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference and currently heads, along with two additional co-chairs, the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, where she leads the recruiting and selection of conference facilitators.
  
  Most recently, Collinus served as a Senior Program Officer and Strategy Lead at the Colorado Health Foundation. She led a $7.5 million portfolio for the physical well-being of children and youth and for parks and playground builds across the state.