LEADERSHIP TEAM
Zachary McComsey | Founder, Executive Director and Principal
Zach first embarked on this journey ten years ago while working at a school in the Dominican Republic. There, an idea took root that has driven him since: every student deserves a real chance to be successful in life, and can do so if they are prepared for a college education. A graduate of Colorado Christian University and Harvard Divinity School, Zach spent more than a year laying the groundwork for Atlas Prep after his El Pomar Foundation Fellowship, training with the prestigious Building Excellent Schools program in Boston and touring successful urban schools across the nation. He is inspiring support for Atlas Prep throughout the Colorado Springs community, spreading the notion that all students have the capacity to achieve and succeed in life, regardless of their backgrounds.
Julian Flores | Co-Founder and Managing Director
Julian has witnessed first hand what it takes to challenge under served students to become high-achieving, successful, world citizens - his wife and many family members are public educators who work tirelessly to push their students to learn and achieve each day. A graduate of Stanford University and former El Pomar Foundation Fellow, he joins the Atlas Prep team with a relentless desire to recreate the successes of high performing, urban public schools across the country. With a background in fundraising, creative media and finance sharpened through the Vanguard Consultancy business he founded, Julian will now use his talents to bring the achievement gap into focus throughout the Springs community. He imagines a school where students are put on the path to college regardless of their circumstance.
Antonio Rosendo | Co-Founder and Managing Director
Tony joins Atlas Prep driven by an intense desire to close the achievement gap. The stark difference in performance between poor and minority students and their more affluent counterparts is a trend that can be reversed, and Tony will work ceaselessly to bring that focus to Atlas Prep. A graduate of Colorado College, Tony has taught in both Colorado Springs and Denver and with his Masters in Education in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Denver he will lead the search to obtain a highly effective, first-rate faculty. As Dean of Curriculum & Instruction, Tony plans to create a culture in which teachers are given the autonomy and support they need to instruct effectively and where students are empowered with the preparation and opportunity to determine their own future.
Brittany Kernan | Assistant Principal
Brittany is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring her passion for teaching and leadership to the Atlas Prep community and begin working with people who share such an inspiring goal. Originally a Colorado College alumna, Brittany furthered her education at Denver University, where she received her elementary teaching credential. She has had four years of teaching experience in both 4th and 5th grade in sunny California. Brittany believes that Atlas Prep is a unique school that gives all students the tools to become successful, college educated adults, and she can't wait to get back to the state that out-shines California to begin this journey.
Erin Wahler | Assistant Principal
Erin entered teaching as a Teach For America corps member in 2005, inspired to work to close the achievement gap by the educational inequalities that were so obvious in her college neighborhood. She has taught 5th grade for the past four years on the Zuni reservation in Northwestern New Mexico. Erin has also served as a collaborative group leader for Teach For America upper elementary teachers in New Mexico and founded a College Night program to assist high school students in Zuni with applying and preparing for college. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Elementary Education from University of New Mexico. Her enjoyment of outdoor activities grows out of a childhood spent at the Grand Canyon. Erin is excited to join the Atlas team and work with others who are dedicated to ensuring all students attain an excellent education.
Nora Duane | Grade & Department Chair, Founding Teacher - Social Studies
Nora is excited to join the Atlas Prep team; she strongly believes that it is the right of every child to have access to a quality education and a safe school. A graduate of Stonehill College, Nora began teaching in Fall River, MA through PACT, a volunteer program, while earning her M.Ed. at Providence College in RI. After, she moved on to the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter School in the Hyde Park section of Boston, a school which shares a similar vision to Atlas Prep. Nora is coming to Colorado Springs from her beloved home state of Vermont, and she is looking forward to comparing Green Mountains to Rocky ones.
Rebecca Hooley | Grade & Department Chair - Grades 5-6 Science Teacher
Coming from a long line of public school teachers, Rebecca believes that all students deserve access to a challenging, high quality education that prepares them for the collegiate world and beyond. After earning a degree in biology from Lewis & Clark College, Rebecca entered the field of education as an environmental educator with nature centers in Minnesota and Colorado. Rebecca taught middle school science at a KIPP school in Denver prior to enrolling in the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since moving to Colorado Springs earlier this summer, Rebecca has enjoyed going on nature walks in parks around the city and gardening in her backyard.
Anne Long | Grade & Department Chair - Sixth Grade Reading Teacher
Anne's passion for teaching stems from her belief that all students are entitled to receive an exceptional education that ensures opportunities for a successful future. After graduating from Lewis and Clark College in 2005, Anne began her teaching career as a Teach For America teacher in Gallup, New Mexico where she taught for four years. She holds a master's degree in elementary education from Western New Mexico University. Anne is excited to embark upon new learning opportunities at Atlas Prep and to work with students, parents and teachers in order to provide learning experiences for students to help them achieve their highest potential. She is also thrilled to explore the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
