Meet Our Team

List of 6 members.

• 

  Ms. Catherine Laskey 

  Director of Admission & Financial Aid

  (303) 914-2571

  Duke University - BA

  catherine.laskey@coloradoacademy.org

  At CA Since: 1995

  Bio

  Catherine Laskey has worked at CA since 1995 and has served as Director of Admission & Financial Aid since 1997. Catherine oversees student recruitment and marketing initiatives for the school. During her first two years at CA, Catherine also taught French and history in the Upper and Lower Schools. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Catherine graduated from Duke University as an Angier B. Duke Scholar, with majors in French and Political Science. Prior to CA, Catherine worked in admission at The Madeira School in McLean, Va. When she is not leading admission tours, Catherine enjoys traveling and other activities with her family.
• 

  Ms. Heidi Chesley 

  Director of Upper School Admission & Financial Aid

  (303) 914-2572

  University of Colorado - Boulder - BS
  Trinity College - MA
  Harvard Law School - JD

  heidi.chesley@coloradoacademy.org

  At CA Since: 2013

  Bio

  At CA since 2013, Heidi Chesley is the Director of Upper School Admission and Financial Aid at Colorado Academy. Before joining the CA community, she served as a Partner in the Boston office of the international law firm, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, and as a Partner in Gordon & Rees LLP in Denver. She has also worked as the Director of Admission at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Conn., and as a Director and Teacher for Citizen Schools Program, an after-school apprenticeship and mock-trial program for inner-city students in Boston, Mass. Chesley received her BS in Finance and Marketing from the University of Colorado at Boulder, her MA in American Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and her JD from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass. Chesley is also a Boettcher Scholar.
• 

  Caren Salzer 

  Director of Lower School Admission & Financial Aid

  (303) 914-2549

  Indiana University - BS

  caren.salzer@coloradoacademy.org

  At CA Since: 2011

  Bio

  Returning to CA in 2011, Caren Salzer brought 24 years of experience working in an independent school setting to her position as Director of Lower School Admission and Financial Aid. Salzer, who holds a BS from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., previously worked for CA as a Middle School math and Core teacher, as well as an advisor. Salzer has also worked as the Development Director and the Director of Admission for the Montessori School of Evergreen. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, skiing, mountain biking, photography, knitting, and Ultimate Frisbee.
• 

  Ms. Karen Chavez 

  Admission Officer

  (303) 914-2573

  New York University - BS

  karen.chavez@coloradoacademy.org

  At CA Since: 2018

  Bio

  Before joining the CA community in 2018, Karen Chavez was a college counselor at KIPP Colorado Schools, where she guided low-income, minority, and first-generation college-bound students through the college application process. Continuing her passion to give back to her Southwest Denver community, she is a lead teacher for Horizons at CA during its summer enrichment program. Chavez has also worked as a Selective Mutism Program assistant at the Child Mind Institute in New York and as a team leader at NYU Jumpstart, a program that serves young children in low-income communities. She received her BS in Applied Psychology from New York University and is fluent in English and Spanish.
• 

  Ms. Lisa Dean 

  Admission Office Coordinator; US Service Learning Coordinator

  (303) 914-2516

  University of Colorado - Boulder - BA
  Regis University - Master of Non-Profit Management

  lisa.dean@coloradoacademy.org

  At CA Since: 2005

  Bio

  Lisa Dean began working in the CA Admission Office in 2005. As the Admission Office Coordinator, she manages the office and supports prospective families through the application process. In 2017, Dean added service learning responsibilities in her role as the Upper School Service Learning Coordinator.  Dean earned her BA in Communications from the University of Colorado-Boulder and graduated with a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. Prior to CA, Dean worked as a volunteer and special events coordinator for several area nonprofit organizations.
• 

  Ms. Paige Siemers 

  Admission Administrative Assistant

  (303) 914-2512

  University of Kansas - BFA

  paige.siemers@coloradoacademy.org

  At CA Since: 2014

  Bio

  Paige Siemers joined CA in the fall of 2014 as the Administrative Assistant in the office of Admission and Financial Aid. Siemers has worked in a similar capacity at Mullen High School and also has worked as the Assistant to the Director of Summer Programs at CA. She was a professional marathoner for nearly five years and worked as a cross-country track and field coach and also in retail and sales in fitness and running. Siemers holds a BFA in Printmaking from the University of Kansas.