Board Members

TERESA WRIGHT-Board President

2nd Term: 2019-2023

Teresa Wright is originally from Wadsworth, Ohio. Teresa moved to the Fountain Valley area in 1998. At that time, her oldest son began attending Jordahl Elementary. She officially moved to Fountain in 2001. Her five boys have given her the opportunity to experience five of D8’s elementary schools at various times. Two of her sons graduated from Fountain-Fort Carson High School (FFCHS). She currently has one son who is a senior at Fountain-Fort Carson High School. Since three of her boys are affected by autism, Teresa has partnered with the Special Education staff for the past 15 years. Two of her sons attend the Transition Program (based out of the Walt Fortman building) which works to prepare students with disabilities, ages 18 – 21, for meaningful participation in their community and for life after high school. Teresa is also a member of D8’s Special Education Advisory Council. Her youngest son has been a part of the district’s Gifted and Talented program for the past five years.

The Wright Family believes Fountain-Fort Carson Schools are the best! Teresa graduated from Pikes Peak Community College in 2001 as a Registered Nurse. She worked at Memorial Hospital Central for 14 years, and is currently an RN with Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, enjoying beautiful Colorado, reading, walking, hiking, and gardening.

DON GRUBBS-Board Vice President

2nd Term: 2019-2023

Don Grubbs is a Colorado native and long-time Fountain and School District 8 resident. He served in the U.S.  Marine Corps from 1964 to 1967 and was honorably discharged in 1970. He has been a member of the American Legion for 24 years. Don retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2009 after working there more than 43 years, for most of those years he worked as a letter carrier.

Don served on the Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 Board of Education twice before - from 1989 through 1995 and then from 1996 through 2007.

Don is married to Jill Grubbs who is also a former Board Member. Don has three children - Toby, Greg and Jennifer – who all graduated from Fountain-Fort Carson High School. His oldest grandson graduated from FFCHS in 2013 and is currently a junior at Columbia University in New York City, looking forward to graduate in 2017.

He and his wife attend Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel.  They enjoy watching their granddaughter play basketball who is a junior at Fountain-Fort Carson High School and spending time with their two Scottish terriers. In addition, they have a 1981 Corvette that they enter in local parades and car shows.  Don is one of the original Denver Broncos fans.

Don appreciates that he was reelected to serve on the Fountain-Fort Carson School Board and is looking forward to good things for our students and FFC8 for the next four years.

 

KENNETH COFFEE, JR.-Board Treasurer

1st Term: 2021 - 2025

Mr. Kenneth (Ken) R. Coffee was born in Dallas, Texas. He grew up both in South Eastern Oklahoma and Wichita Falls, Texas before joining the United States Army-where he continued his military service for 24 years. He served in Iraq twice and participated in several other overseas assignments in Europe and the Middle East. The first part of his Army career was spent in equipment maintenance and fleet management. He was later selected to serve as a unit Equal Opportunity Leader, Resilience Trainer, and as Victim’s Advocate. Mr. Coffee aided in establishing the SHARP Advocate training program for Fort Carson. He was later selected to be the Fort Carson and 4th Infantry Division’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinator--managing awareness and prevention training, and tracking all reports of assault and harassment for the Fort Carson community and personnel. His role included advising community leadership on the topic and creating partnerships with military and civilian entities to provide greater assistance to victims and innovative resources to leaders. 

Mr. Coffee’s wife of 22 years, Cammie, is a former nurse focusing on Alzheimer’s, geriatric psychiatry, and end of life care. She has enjoyed many years of volunteering and participating in PTA & PTO with their children’s elementary schools, especially her time at Aragon while both children attended. Their son Kenneth is an FFCHS graduate and is currently attending Pike’s Peak Community College. He has also attended the Fire Academy program and currently holds his EMT, lifeguard, and swim instructor certifications. Ryleigh, their 15-year-old daughter, is currently attending FFCHS and participates in DECA, winning first place in the Principles of Marketing category in her freshman year.

After retirement from the military, Mr. Coffee became an Army Civilian to continue training quality victim advocates and response coordinators. He and his family have volunteered with several organizations such as Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s Survivor Task Force, The Mission Continues,  Care and Share Food Bank, and The Red Cross. He and his family enjoy movies, hiking, and being outdoors with their two dogs Chewy and Oakley. 

SHIRLEY MARTINEZ- Board Director 

1st Term: 2021 - 2025

As a military family, Shirley Martinez was born in Waycross, Georgia and traveled across world with her siblings and father who served in the United States Air Force. Influenced by her father, Shirley made a career of the military for 20+ years in the Navy as a Telecommunications Petty Officer and then the Army as a Journeyman Welder and supervisor for a third shop in the Air Defense Artillery. While in the military, she met her husband Paul in Naples, Italy, married and together had four children. After moving to several bases, Ms. Martinez and her family eventually moved to Fountain Colorado where all four of her sons graduated from Fountain Fort Carson High School. Ms. Martinez finished her career in the military as a Top-Secret Court Reporter and Chief Legal Non-commissioned officer and EEO, she retired from Fort Carson JAG office. Upon retirement from the military Ms. Martinez worked for Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) as the Senior EEO/Compliance Specialist and Diversity Advisor. Last year 2020 Ms. Martinez retired from the CSU.

Shirley stayed deeply involved in her children’s education and volunteered her time on school hiring panels, parent boards, and more. Her example of civic engagement has influenced her children as well as her three grandchildren, who play(ed) sports, and/or sit on the youth council.

Ms. Martinez has her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Social Psychology, Master of Science in Psychology and License Professional Counseling, and is currently in Doctorial program at the University of Phoenix with a concentration in Organizational Management. Additionally, Ms. Martinez is a certified paralegal which she obtained from the University of Virginia Law School and is a certified Court Reporting which she acquired from Naval Justice school, Newport Rhode Island.

Shirley's achievements include becoming chair of the 2012 Sister City Joint Event with Fujiyoshida Japan, developing a Cultural Excellence Institutional Diligence plan, and creating a Military Mobility Program. Through her strategic work, she was an integral part in teams, groups, and programs receiving awards to include, but not limited to: The 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Freedom Award, the 2017 Extraordinary Employer Award, the Employer Support of the Guard award, and the Reserves Seven Seals Award. Personally, she was named the 2010 Woman of Influence, received Governor Polis 2020 Colorado Department of Labor & Employment Shining Stars for Disability Employment Award, the 2020 Resolution for Service to Rate Payers of Colorado Springs Utilities, the Utilities’ Board 20-06, and the 2021 Spirit of the Springs Award from Mayor Suthers for COS 150. 

Shirley Martinez currently is the Director of Diversity Equity & Inclusion for Pikes Peak Library District, Serves as Board Advisor of the Pikes Peak Diversity Council, Board of Directors, Secretary of Rocky Mountain Healthcare Services (RMHCS).  She is also a member of the Garden of the Gods Rotary Club and a writer for My Black Colorado Magazine, and volunteers for several non-profits in El Paso County.

 

ROSE A. TERRELL- Board Director

1st Term: 2021 - 2023

Mrs. Rose Terrell was born and raised in west-central Wisconsin, growing up on a small dairy farm with her four brothers and one sister.  After high school graduation, she attended, and graduated from, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire with a double major in special education/elementary education.  After marrying Dale Terrell, who was then a soldier in the United States Army, they traveled from Kansas to Germany, on to Oklahoma, and finally planted themselves here in Colorado. Their two children, David and Christina, as well as grandson David, Junior, are graduates of Fountain-Fort Carson schools and live with their families in Colorado. 

Mrs. Terrell was hired as a special education teacher for Carson Middle School in the fall of 1988. In the spring of 1992, she completed a comprehensive master of arts program in special education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Throughout her 35 years of teaching in public schools, 27 at Carson Middle School here in FFC8, and 8 years of international experience, Rose has enjoyed the diversity and educational challenges that face military families.  She believes that the military community is a unique blend of talents and interests and is honored to continue to be a part of this one!  Rose wants to continue to serve this great community that she has called home for half of her life, calling it endearingly "her family," by continuing to do what is best for D8 children; supporting family cohesion, student growth and achievement, and lifelong learners who can survive in these dynamic times. Her interests include cooking, gardening, sports, and spending time with grandchildren.