• Dr. Rosemarie Allen has served as a leader in early childhood education for nearly 40 years. Her life's work is centered on ensuring children have access to high quality early childhood programs that are developmentally appropriate. She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Rosemarie has served in directorship roles with the Colorado Department of Human Services, most recently in the Division of Youth Corrections (DYC). As Director of Programs at DYC, she was responsible for the education, health, and mental health of all adjudicated youth in the State. She was also responsible for the professional development of all Division staff members in order to ensure state-wide culture change. From 2007-2012 Rosemarie served as the Director of the Division of Child Care.In that role, she oversaw the State’s child care licensing program, the federal child care assistance program, the redesign of the State’s quality rating and improvement system, the implementation of the State’s professional development plan, and assisted in the creation of Colorado’s early learning guidelines.

    Dr. Allen is a respected keynote speaker and has the distinct honor of being appointed as a “Global Leader" for Early Childhood and works with professionals from more than 80 countries, sharing inspiration and information on issues impacting children and families worldwide. Rosemarie earned her B. A. from California State University, Master’s of Education from Lesley University and Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity at the University of Colorado, Denver.

  • Don C. Allen has worked as a financial analyst, accountant, and finance supervisor for more than four decades. His passion is ensuring the financial integrity of organizations and enhancing the financial literacy of employees. Mr. Allen worked for Raytheon Systems Company as a Principle Systems Analyst for nearly 30 years. He developed and implemented Earned Values Systems for Five major defense contracts. He also served as the skilled Financial Expert for Proposal support, cost budgeting and compliance assessment for Federal (FAR) and Raytheon Regulations. His proficiency with the tool "PC Pricing" for proposals projects led to various contract awards and ensured cost alignment. He demonstrated expert analysis and presentation skills with monthly, quarterly and annual reviews to product line executives. Mr. Allen also effectively worked with external and governmental auditors for year-end review for compliance to accounting and DCAA regulations. He has many years of experience with developing and managing overhead rates to capture cost in a Matrix environment. Over the course of his career, Mr. Allen has trained and mentored Junior analysts in all aspects of defense contracting financial operations. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and his MBA from the school of Business at UCLA.

  • Val Gill has more than 30 years’ experience in business, process and project management. She most recently served as a Sr. Business Analyst at Kaiser Permanente supporting the company with data integration, analysis and process procedures. Prior to joining Kaiser, Val worked as a Sr. Process Analyst of CenturyLink, where she assisted in multiple projects to create processes for numerous acquisitions and daily operations. Val also held senior roles at Transamerica Finance and GE Capital. She has a depth of knowledge in operations and process improvement. She served on the Board of IREE and is a member of several local organizations in the community. Val earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Catawba College, Salisbury, NC in Communications. She is the wife of a retired Navy man, mother of two adult children and grandmother of two grand boys!

  • Cammile Espinosa has more than 22 years’ experience in early childhood. She’s held roles as a Licensing Specialist, Lead Teacher and Family Childcare Provider. Her main objective is to make a difference for families to have access to highly quality licensed childcare facilities where children can develop to their full potential in a safe, healthy, and nursing environment. Cammile obtained her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Metropolitan State University.

  • Kristen Boss has over 30 years of experience working in early childhood. She started at IREE as a Quality Assurance Specialist, Licensing Specialist, Lead Licensing Specialist, Training Coordinator, and Licensing Supervisor. Her goal is that all children are in a safe and nurturing environment that allows them to freely explore, learn, and develop their love of learning that will guide them throughout their lives. Kristen earned her Associate of Applied Science Degree in Early Childhood Education from Pikes Peak Community College and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development with a minor in Early Childhood Education from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

  • Sarah Alshaeli has more than 16 years of experience in the Early Childhood field. She worked in several childcare centers as an assistant teacher, a lead teacher, and a childcare center director. She served in the capacity of a childcare licensing specialist for the past 9 years. This background has taught her that children learn best through experience and play, and all children deserve an opportunity to grow and develop their skills in a safe and positive environment.

    Sarah is most passionate about ensuring all children regardless of their economic status have access to quality childcare and education.

    Sarah has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a Master’s degree in IT Management from Regis University.