Colleen is in her 12th year working with the High Tech High organization in San Diego, where she served as a school director at two of the high schools and is currently teaching 11th grade humanities at High Tech High International.

Beyond her work with HTH, Colleen has been involved in teaching and teacher training abroad, including as a 2012 Fellow with Teach With Africa, working with students and teachers in Ga Rankuwa, South Africa. Colleen has provided trainings on classroom management, project design, advanced project design, teacher training, school leadership and school culture, restorative justice, and methods of teaching writing and literature to educators and educational leaders in Michigan, Minnesota, Hawaii, and California as well as outside of the U.S. in Israel, South Africa, and Canada. She has also taught at the University of San Diego and currently teaches online courses for Central Texas College. Colleen works as a mentor for beginning teachers through the HTH Credentialing Program and teaches courses through the HTH Graduate School of Education.

Born and raised in Michigan, Colleen has called San Diego home for the last 14 years. Colleen has her undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University, a Masters degree from Bowling Green State University in Literature and Writing, and will be defending her Ph.D. dissertation through Purdue University in October 2016. When she is not working and planning projects, she enjoys running and loves spending time with her husband and two and a half year old daughter, traveling, spending time outdoors, or at the zoo.