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    Meet The Board That Strives To Put Thompson School District At The Forefront Of Education

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Contact  Board Members
Board of Education Office
Thompson School District
800 S. Taft Ave. Loveland, CO 80537
(970) 613-5013

Board Members

Read About Each Board Member And The Areas They Serve

Dawn Kirk
Director District A
Term expires 2023
(970) 613-5013

Dawn Kirk

Dawn Kirk represents District A on the Thompson School Board, elected November 2019. She and her family have a long history inside Thompson School District as a Loveland native, raised in schools in the district, and her children attend or graduated from Thompson Schools. Dawn is a learning and development professional with 18 years of saving lives in the public service industry. She has participated on many school and district committees. Additionally, Dawn facilitates strategic planning and leadership training professionally and with several non-profits, serving on the Kids@Heart board, mentoring dreamers, and developing an intern program for young women to develop their technical skills. Her focus is on the key areas of parent and community engagement, building community, and sharing successes across the school district because there are a lot of great things happening in Thompson schools to be excited about. Evaluating efficacy of existing programs for fiscal oversight and prioritizing development best practices, taking care of the people who take care of students with trauma training and self care for staff are key priorities for our district.

Paul Bankes
Director District B
Term expires 2021
(970) 443-0820

Paul Bankes

Paul Bankes was appointed to the Thompson School District Board of Education Director District B in November 2017. Dr. Bankes is a 16-year resident of Loveland and has two daughters currently attending Loveland High School. He achieved a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Texas Tech University, after receiving a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Texas Tech University and a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming. Dr. Bankes has spent the past 25 years serving public education as an elementary teacher, a middle school and high school assistant principal, a middle school and elementary school principal, a Director of Assessment and Accountability, Executive Director of Elementary Education, and a consultant for the International Foundation for Critical Thinking, which awarded him an Outstanding Leadership in Critical Thinking Award in 2008. He spent 14 years working for the Thompson School District before pursuing his current career as a Financial Consultant. Dr. Bankes believes the Thompson School District has tremendous potential and embraces the community and personal responsibility of effectively educating all children.

TBD
Director District C
Term expires 2023
(970) 613-5013

Pam Howard
Director District D | Board Vice President
Term expires 2023
(970) 663-4101

Pam Howard

Pam Howard was appointed to the Thompson School District Board of Education Director District D seat in October 2013. Mrs. Howard is a 30 year resident of Loveland, and all three of her children have attended District schools. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University and began her career as a high school English teacher. Upon moving to Colorado with her husband, she taught English at Aims Community College campuses. Mrs. Howard has volunteered on numerous boards and commissions for Larimer County, the City of Loveland and the Thompson School District. Most recently she served on the Thompson Valley High School School Accountability Committee, and the District Budget Proposal Team. She strongly believes that all students deserve the chance to achieve and succeed and that public education is their key to a successful future.

Lori Hvizda Ward
Director District E | Board President
Term expires 2021
(970) 663-3518

Lori Hvizda Ward

Lori Hvizda Ward was elected to the Thompson School District Board of Education Director District E seat in November 2013. She and her husband Ken, a software engineer, have lived in Loveland since 1987 and have three children who attend district schools. She holds a BA in psychology and English from Williams College. After 12 years in the insurance industry, her passion for education was ignited while serving on the Board of Directors at Loveland Preschool. Since then, she has volunteered thousands of hours in district schools, serving as PTA President and SAC Chair, as well as on the district Budget Proposal Team and Talent Development Services Advisory Council. She is dedicated to ensuring a quality public education for all students in Thompson schools.

Barbara Kruse
Director District F
Term expires 2021
(970) 669-5721

Barbara Kruse

Barbara Kruse was elected to the Thompson School District Board of Education Director District F in November 2017. Barbara is a 40-year resident of Loveland and has two daughters that attended Thompson School District. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her Reading Master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. She was an elementary classroom teacher in TSD for over 30 years and continued as a teacher on special assignment as literacy support in the district for an additional 5 years. Barbara served as president of the Colorado Council of International Reading Association and has continued to be actively involved. She was named Outstanding Reading Educator. After departing from TSD she worked as an educational consultant for Scholastic Educational Services and currently teaches in the reading department at UNC in Greeley, CO. She is a firm believer that one’s learning is never complete and that it is our responsibility to provide a strong foundation for the future leaders of our community.

Stu Boyd
Director District G
Term expires 2023
(970) 613-5013

Stu Boyd

Stu was elected to represent District “G’ in November, 2019. A product of TSD schools, Stu is a graduate of Berthoud High School as are his two daughters. In May of 2019, Stu completed 50 years as an educator in the Thompson schools – 36 years as a teacher, administrator, and curriculum specialist and 14 years following retirement as a substitute teacher and teacher mentor. He is proud to have received one of the last diplomas awarded by Colorado State College before it became UNC. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from CSC and a Master of Education degree in secondary school administration from CSU. He has been active for many years in the Berthoud and Loveland communities, having served as president of the board of directors of the Thompson Education Foundation and Meals on Wheels of Loveland-Berthoud, and is a charter member of the board of directors of the Berthoud Schools Fund. In 2011 he was honored by the Berthoud Chamber of Commerce as the first recipient of the Doc Fickel Award, given to recognize exemplary service to the Berthoud community. Stu believes that public education is the backbone of our democratic society and that all students deserve an education that is appropriate to their academic and individual needs.