John Brock, Ph.D. - University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Professor Brock is a Senior Instructor of Economics at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the Director of the Center for Economic Education. In that role, he serves as an education program faculty member for Economic Literacy Colorado, where he collaborates in the development and teaching of economics and financial literacy classes for K-12 teachers throughout Colorado. Professor Brock has over 40 years of teaching at the University of Colorado and the United States Air Force Academy. He also serves as Vice President of J.V. Bruni & Company, an investment adviser firm. As co-founder of the Global Economic Education Alliance, Professor Brock has conducted seminars and workshops in 18 emerging economies to train educators in market-based economics and to help them implement innovative methods for classroom instruction. He was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award at the Air Force Academy in 1985 and the Outstanding Instructor Award at the University of Colorado in 2002. Professor Brock holds an undergraduate degree from the United States Air Force Academy, an MBA from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University.

Dale DeBoer, Ph.D. - University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Professor DeBoer is an Associate Professor of Economics and former Chairperson of the Department of Economics at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS), as well as a faculty member for the Executive MBA program at University of Colorado, Denver. He is a member of the American Economic Association, the National Association of Forensic Economists, and Economic Literacy Colorado’s education program faculty, where he collaborates in the development and teaching of economics and financial literacy classes for K-12 teachers throughout Colorado. Professor DeBoer is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Teaching Award for Outstanding Graduate Students, the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, and the UCCS Outstanding Teaching Award. His research focuses on the reform of social welfare policies in the United States, models of domestic inequality dynamics, and financial implications of inheritance tax reform. He also serves as a consultant in the hedge fund industry.

Dan Driscoll - University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Dan Driscoll received a BS in Physics from Georgetown University, Washington, DC, and an MA in Economics from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. He served over 26 years in the United States Air Force, as a reconnaissance navigator/electronic warfare officer and as an economics instructor. He taught as an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy from 2005-2015 and is currently a full-time Instructor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. With over twelve years of teaching, he has primarily taught introductory economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, managerial economics and regional economies of Asia. Dan has volunteered as a youth coach and in District 20 schools as an instructor/mentor with chess club, Lego robotics, and Junior Achievement.

Farida Khan. PhD - University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Dr. Farida Chowdhury Khan has a B.B.A in Economics from Georgia College and State University, an M.S in Economic Policy and Planning from Northeastern University, and a PhD. in Economics from University of Maryland. Her research background is in International trade policy, numerical general equilibrium models, and she works on economic development in South Asia, primarily on Bangladesh. She has written on topics related to capital goods, micro-credit, gender, and more recently environmental issues as they connect to indigenous peoples in India and Bangladesh. Her writing also includes topics on the US economy.

Neal Rappaport, Ph.D. - Colorado College

Neal Rappaport earned his PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a retired Air Force Colonel who served as an Associate Professor of Economics and Department Head of the Department of Economics and Geosciences at the United States Air Force Academy. Neal has been a Visiting Professor of Economics at Colorado College since 2013. His extensive teaching experience includes courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Finance, International Economics, Economics of Asia, Operations Research, and Financial Accounting. In addition to his academic activities, Dr. Rappaport has extensive practical economic experience. He has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan dealing with economic development issues. He has consulted on such projects as redeveloping Baghdad’s “Green Zone,” and on creating alternative livelihoods for opium growers in rural Afghanistan. He also spent several months working as the Senior Economist for International Trade on former President Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, where he worked on a variety of bilateral and multilateral issues and negotiations.

Teresa Yohon, Ph.D. - eNetLearning

Teresa Yohon works with eNetLearning and owns her own consulting firm, Education and Training Connections. Dr. Yohon is a former teacher educator (Colorado State University), Program Manager (for Colorado Business and Marketing Programs), and Information Specialist (at Colorado Department of Education). While at Colorado State, she received two federal grants (total award amount = $1.7 million) and developed and implemented an on-site training program for teacher educators on technology integration into the classroom and an online program including a competency-based portfolio system for credentialing of Colorado career and technical education teachers. As the Information Specialist for CDE’s Race to the Top office, she developed the CDE Assessment Resource Bank and worked with other Race to the Top states to develop a common mega-tagging system for online resources.

Ken Benson - Niwot High School

Ken Benson earned his BA in Economics and German from Colorado State University and his Masters in International Business from University of Auckland, New Zealand. Prior to teaching, Ken worked in both the technical and business side of several technology startups, and was President of a small artificial intelligence company in Boulder for 18 months. Ken has taught for 14 years, the last thirteen at Niwot High School. When he started at Niwot, he was offered a one-semester economics survey course to teach. He has since grown the offerings at Niwot to include 2 full-year Advanced Placement classes and 2 International Baccalaureate classes as well. Ken was awarded Niwot’s Educator of the Year in 2008. More recently, he received the Spotlight Award for Excellence in St Vrain Valley School District. He was one of only five educators to receive the award and the only high school teacher to be recognized. Ken sponsors the student-led Niwot High School Economics Club where his students teach elementary kids about the Circular Flow and where they Skype with best-selling author Charles Wheelan every year. Students lead weekly discussions about issues of the day and learn the real world virtues of micro-finance programs in the club. Ken has participated in economic study tours to South Africa and Peru. He has served as mentor teacher for ELC in several of its teacher training workshops. Finally, he was selected as the 2017 Koelbel Enterprising Teacher of the Year by ELC.

Donna Ecks - Doherty High School

Donna Ecks earned her BA from Colorado State University and her MA in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She is in her 21st year of teaching. Donna started her teaching career at St. Mary’s High School before moving to Doherty High School, where she has been for the last 18 years. In addition to teaching, Donna coached swimming and diving at both schools. Donna collaborates regularly with District 11 teachers on economic curriculum mapping and developing district assessments. Donna was also selected to collaborate on the first cut score development for the Economic Section of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam. In 2006, she was selected to by the National Council of Economic Education (NCEE) to travel to Washington DC lobby for continuing funding for economic education. She has attended two international economic study tours, one to South Africa and the other Lithuania. In 2007, Donna received the Enterprising Teacher of the year award.

Kurt Gutschick - Valor Christian School

Kurt Gutschick received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Colorado State University. Upon completion of his studies, he worked for the U.S. Senate as a staff assistant to Senator Wayne Allard. Kurt completed his Master’s degree in School Leadership and Administration from Grand Canyon University in 2006. Kurt Gutschick joined the Valor faculty in 2010, where he started the AP Economics program, along with the Valor Society of Economic Studies, which is a student-run club that brings in a variety of different speakers of local, state, and national prominence. He is a member of the Advanced Economics Roundtable, a group of Colorado economics teachers who meet annually to share best practices, resources and ideas. In his spare time Kurt also advises numerous political campaigns at the local, state, and federal level.

Della Hoffman - Place Bridge Academy

Della Hoffman is a 6th grade Newcomer Teacher at Place Bridge Academy, a magnet school for refugees in Denver Public Schools. She works with a class of English Language Learners who have been in the country for two years or less. Prior to her work at Place, she worked for three years at the Delaware Council for Economic Education where she taught programs for teachers and students relating to economic education and personal financial literacy. While in Delaware, she earned a MA in Teaching Economic Education and Entrepreneurship. In her spare time, she is an avid Zumba enthusiast and instructor.

Charles Kastens - Independence Elementary School

Charles Kastens is currently a 4th grade teacher at Independence Elementary in the Cherry Creek School District.  He has 19 years of classroom experience in the intermediate grade levels, the past 14 at Independence.  Charles has become very engaged in teaching and sharing his knowledge of the PFL standards over the past several years.  He has conducted professional development classes at the school and district levels, and has done multiple projects with CDE, including being part of the PFL Standards Revision Committee.  Charles is married to his beautiful wife Christine, and has three amazing children

Jeff Kenefsky - Cheyenne Mountain High School

Jeff Kenefsky earned is BA from the University of Oregon and an MAT from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. He developed the required economics course at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs where he has been teaching for 16 years. He was named 2017 Cheyenne Mountain High School Teacher of the Year. Jeff sits on the Southern Partnership Council for Economic Literacy Colorado where he helped develop "What Every Teacher and Student Should Know About The Economy", a class specifically aimed at promoting economic literacy. When not discussing the benefits of trade deficits, Jeff enjoys spending time with his family, the occasional stroll up the Manitou Incline, and finding new ways to cook and enjoy sweet potatoes.