Parents for Parity Board of Directors
Latoya Erskine
President
My story: I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and received my B.A. in English from Cornell University. I am passionate about education and health. I have worked with children in the DPS system and in Samoa through the Peace Corps. I worked for food justice and equity in the Montbello community and am now an EMT in Denver. I enjoy gardening, literature, and swimming.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: I hope to make education more equitable and accessible. My dream is to have education be a well-rounded aspect of all children’s futures, meaning that learning isn’t something that just happens in a classroom. I wouldn’t be where I am today if my teachers, family, and community didn’t play an active role in my education.
My favorite quote or saying: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”— Aristotle
Austine Luce
Vice President
My story: I am dedicated to raising awareness of our connection to the Earth, the infinite relationships between humans, natural resource consumption, and the labor economy. Currently my work focuses on building networks and community spaces for knowledge sharing, gathering waste to transform soil in community spaces, and then innovating our farming practices to become more regenerative and year-around as we learn to grow our own health. I am an environmental scientist and educational anthropologist. I am also an earth lover, a mother, an artist, and environmental scientist, and educational anthropologist, a gardener, a farmer, a founding neighborhood co-op member, an active community member, a scholar, a volunteer, and an activist for sustainable empowered change in her life, and therefore the world.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: I believe in community building around growth, Parents for Parity creates access to the space of working together to build a garden community and use this as a tool to support growth in literacy of all kinds.
My favorite quote or saying: “To build community requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization that leads us to behave in ways that perpetuate domination.”—bell hooks Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope
Mary Ann Bash
Treasurer
My story: Raised in a home where my grandmother recited, “You may have caskets of jewels and coffers of gold but richer than I you can never be, for I had a mother who read to me,” I discovered my calling in bringing the joy and power of reading to students and families. Blessed with farmers on the other side of my ancestry, I champion gardening as an engaging tool for promoting literacy, STEAM education, community building and food justice. I advocate for a paid garden leader to be on staff at EVERY under-resourced school! I have been a preschool-12th grade teacher/education researcher since 1971 and have authored four professional books which have been translated into three languages, most recently Portuguese. Married 47 years, we have three children and seven grandchildren with whom I share my love of swimming, traveling, reading, music and art.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: Devoted to public education for 51 years, I believe three truths are self-evident: 1) schools as they are currently organized do not deliver education equity, 2) parents and community members engaged in well-planned direct instruction can help schools meet children’s academic and social-emotional needs, and 3) joyful learning extends far beyond the limiting walls of a classroom, including in a garden.
My favorite quote or saying: “If you have a library and a garden, you have everything you need.” —Cicero
Autumn Hartley
Secretary
My story: I am a passionate writer, educator and business owner. My background is in journalism, marketing, nonprofits and K-12 education. I worked in the public schools of the Denver Metro area for six years before starting my own marketing and communications business. When I’m not teaching or writing, I enjoy traveling and outdoor adventures with my husband and our dog.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: I joined the Board because I believe strongly in the power of community initiatives and outreach. I am inspired by the life Marie L. Greenwood led and hope to be a light in the community in the way she was to so many.
My favorite quote or saying: “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” —Saint Mother Teresa
Molly Veliz
Sergeant-at-Arms
My story: I am an elementary educator specializing in early literacy and multilingual education. My love of education, community and connections is grounded in the far northeast of Denver, where I live and work. I have two children who attend Denver Public Schools and my husband and I raise them with a focus on their identity as multicultural, multilingual, global citizens.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: I hope to enhance and help provide early educational experiences and opportunities for as many people as possible. I am inspired by Marie L. Greenwood and her love for educating young learners.
My favorite quote or saying: “Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”—Marian Wright Edelman
Beth Dresser
Member
My story: Both my education and professional career have been based in the world of health and wellness. I have evolved into believing passionately that optimal health; physical, mental and spiritual requires a holistic approach and begins very early in our lives and is impacted by those we have around us. I have dedicated my life to trying to improve the wellbeing of others and feel that I’m just scratching the surface as to my potential to make a difference. In my free time you’ll find me out in the wildness of Colorado and beyond hiking, mountain biking, paddle boarding, etc., as it is what replenishes my soul. I also love to travel and have lived in Spain off and on for several years. I speak fluent Spanish and have a beautiful second family and life outside of Madrid.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: I believe that it is through education that we find our freedom as well as our empathy for other cultures and ways of “being” across the globe. Parents too often underestimate both their ability and responsibility to help in the development of their children’s minds, bodies and souls. It truly does take a village. Parents for Parity brings together parents, children and their schools to show what a beautiful, fulfilling and supportive experience it can be.
My favorite quote or saying: “Let’s assume that each person has an equal opportunity not to become equal, but to become different. To realize whatever unique potential of body, mind and spirit he or she possesses.”—no idea who wrote this – it’s been in one of my journals for many years.
Community Advisory Board
Ivonn Arana
My story: I was born and raised in Guatemala City and came to the US in 2008. I met my husband here and we have two beautiful, kind and smart sons – Damian 12 and Noah 1½. My family and I moved from California 5 years ago to beautiful Denver and bought our home in Montbello. I love this city and my community. They make us feel welcome.
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: It’s very important because this program helps the community learn how to help our little ones at home: how to communicate with them and to show them the amazing tools of education. In my case being part of the Puppet Project family opened a door to help other women who are thinking about becoming a mom or are moms already. I explain to them how important it is to talk with their babies in the first years AND in the coming years to get them ready for their future education at school. My older son had a speech delay, and I want others to know it is so vital for them to talk to all their children every day with respect and love. My dream is to help many people by sharing my experiences and one day to give this beautiful opportunity to the people in my home country of Guatemala.
My favorite quote or saying: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”—Nelson Mandela
Evelia Soriano
My story: I was born and mostly raised in Denver, Colorado and Jalisco, Mexico. I am married, a mother of four and grandmother to two beautiful grandchildren. I am passionate about family and education. I have worked with children from DPS for over 8 years. I started out as a parent tutor in the fabulous program of Each One Teach One: No More Gap where I learned and gained so much knowledge in literacy but most importantly the value and impact it has on every child. Then I started working for Denver Public Schools in 2018 where I became a paraprofessional specializing in Kindergarten. I enjoy spending time with my family, camping, reading and best of all gardening!
Why Parents for Parity is important to me: I feel every child deserves the best education they could ever receive. Education is the most important thing a child needs to succeed in every aspect of life. They start developing their brain even within the womb and start making all these connections once they are born. My dream is for every child to succeed and realize that there’s a world of possibilities out there waiting for them. In order for my dream to become a reality, we need to start developing their brains as soon as possible.
My favorite quote or saying: “Reach for the stars, and you’ll at least hit the treetops.”—Marie L Greenwood. The possibilities are endless!!
Parents for Parity 