Board of Education

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.

Dawn's 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.

Elected 2019
Re-elected 2023
Term expires 2027

Amy Doran is a 28-year resident of Northern Colorado, and a 14-year resident of Loveland. Amy has been a registered nurse for 22 years and has worked in hospital, educational, and community settings. Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Colorado State University, a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Regis University, and a Master of Public Health from University of Northern Colorado.

Amy believes her education gives her the skills necessary to listen, think critically, ask hard questions, and to make informed decisions for policy. Amy her wife, Katie, are the proud parents of a 4th grader in TSD and are also licensed foster parents. Amy has been a grassroots volunteer in TSD and is passionate about public education for all and service to her community.

Amy is committed to putting students first in all that she does to ensure the success of each TSD student. Amy also believes in building a strong community with teachers and staff for the success of TSD.

Appointed 2021
Elected 2021
Term expires 2025

Nancy is a lifelong resident of Northern Colorado who was born and raised in Longmont and then in 2000 moved to Loveland with her husband Robert. Nancy and Robert have a blended family of three daughters; Amanda who is married to Matt Sprague and have two children Tatum and Asher, Emily Theisen and Miranda Theisen. Emily and Miranda both went to school in the Thompson School District and graduated from Mountain View High School.

Nancy served in the United States Navy from 1979-1985 as an Aviation Storekeeper and was stationed at NAS Miramar in San Diego and NAS Atsugi in Japan. She received and honorable discharge with the final rank of E-5. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Regis University in 2003.

Nancy is an enthusiastic accountant who loves discovering the “story” hidden in the numbers and has spent most of her career in the role of CFO/Controller focusing on building bridges between finance and operations which is the best way to ensure integrity in financial reports and most important creates collaboration between different departments. Nancy is a volunteer instructor and consultant with the Larimer Small Business Development Center as she loves teaching business owners about business finance and management as well as, helping them find solutions to the issues they face in building a successful company.

Nancy believes strongly that America is a great country filled with opportunity for success and that education is the keystone to success for all children. She is passionate about ensuring that public education’s number one priority must always be to provide the best education possible for all kids.

As a School Board Director, Nancy is committed to ensuring that all voices are respected, parents are empowered and taxpayer monies are benefiting kids, so that together we can create a positive learning environment so that Thompson School District is a great place to learn and to work!

Elected 2021
Re-elected 2023
Term expires 2027

Denise Chapman was elected to the Thompson School District Board of Education to represent District D in November 2023. Denise has a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University, a Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Purdue University. She has worked in the electronic design, network emulation, and test industry since 1997. Denise and her family have a long history with the Thompson School District. She is a TSD graduate, her children attend or graduated from Thompson Schools, and her father and sister have over 60 years of combined teaching, coaching, and administrator service within the district.

Having been actively involved in various educational initiatives and witnessing firsthand the challenges faced by students, teachers, and parents, I ran for the Thompson Board of Education to contribute my time, skills, and perspectives to help shape the direction of our local schools. I believe that every child deserves access to a quality education regardless of their background or circumstances, and serving on the school board provides an opportunity for me to advocate for policies and initiatives that promote academic excellence, equity, and inclusivity. I aim to be a voice for all stakeholders, working collaboratively to ensure that our schools provide an environment for every student to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Elected 2023
Term expires 2027

Alexandra Lessem was elected to represent District E in November, 2021. She was born and raised in Colorado and has lived in Loveland since 2004. She has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, CA, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO.

Dr. Lessem has worked in healthcare since 2004 and is currently employed as a family nurse practitioner providing primary care to patients in the Loveland/Fort Collins area. She has two children who have attended district schools since kindergarten and she has been an active school and community volunteer for many years. Alexandra believes in the power of public schools to provide a great education to all students and in working with families and community partners to support the schools, students, and teachers.

Elected 2021
Term Expires 2025

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.

Barbara 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, Barbara 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.

Elected 2017
Re-elected 2021
Term Expires 2025

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.

Stu 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, Stu 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.

Elected 2019
Re-elected 2023
Term expires 2027