Staff

Verna Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.

President

Verna Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. became the president of HERS on June 29, 2018.

Prior to joining the HERS team, Fitzsimmons served as the CEO of Kansas State Polytechnic Campus and dean of the College of Technology and Aviation, positions she held since 2012. Under her leadership, Kansas State Polytechnic created a campus strategic plan, a master plan, and appointed a task force charged with the audit of the campus’ organizational structure. The results of these efforts continue to guide the university in serving the needs of its students, faculty, and staff and also function as a benchmark in reaching university-wide goals.

While at Kansas State Polytechnic, Fitzsimmons was responsible for securing numerous corporate and local partnerships to provide K-State Polytechnic students with expanded educational and professional opportunities. Among these were agreements with ExpressJet and Cessna Aircraft Co. She was instrumental in creating the Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center, a $3.5 million, 13,000-square-foot research center, which opened in 2015 and is one of only three such facilities in the world. Furthermore, her stewardship of relationships helped garner Kansas State Polytechnic a $10 million donation – the largest private donation Kansas State Polytechnic has ever received, which is used to fund student scholarships.

Prior to joining Kansas State Polytechnic, Fitzsimmons’ career focused on driving business change and manufacturing process improvement through nearly 30 years as a senior faculty member, aggressive applied researcher, and successful consultant. She has served in various positions of leadership at Kent State University and has taught at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Wright State University Lake Campus, Case Western Reserve University, and Cleveland State University. Her industrial background includes employment at General Electric Health Care and Kenner Toys, among other companies.

Fitzsimmons has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed/refereed journals such as the International Journal of Modern Engineering and Technology. She has also presented her work at a variety of conferences across the country.

Fitzsimmons earned her B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, all from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Raymonda “Ray” Burgman, Ph.D.

Director of HERS Institute

Ray Burgman joined HERS as the Director of HERS Institute in June 2013. Ray brings 20 years of experience in a variety of higher education settings. Ray has developed expertise in strategic leadership, program, and curricular development.

Prior to joining the HERS team, Ray served as the Associate Provost at New College of Florida and Associate Professor of Economics and Management and Special Advisor to the President for Strategic Faculty Initiatives at DePauw University.

Ray has a PhD in Economics from the University of Florida and a B.A. in Economics from New College of Florida. Ray spends her free time exploring new hobbies around the Denver metro area and is the proud owner of a BMW X4 name Q.

Janet Ash, M.B.A.

Director of Finance and Operations

Janet Ash joined HERS as the Director of Business Operations in September 2015 and moved to the Director of Finance and Operations role in June 2017.  In her role, Janet is responsible for the budget, accounting, and finance of HERS as well as recruiting, marketing, data management and process planning.

Prior to joining HERS, Janet served as Director of Operations for a local non-profit.  She is a former owner/manager of several businesses.  Janet earned her MBA from Regis University and BS in Organizational Management from Colorado Christian University. She is also a Project Management Professional (PMP) as certified by the Project Management Institute.

Liz Johnson, M.B.A.

Marketing and Recruiting Manager

Liz Johnson joined HERS as the Marketing and Recruiting Manager in October 2017. Liz brings to HERS more than ten years of experience in integrated marketing campaign development and execution, brand development expertise and traditional and digital content development.

Prior to joining the HERS team, Liz worked at the University of Central Oklahoma in various marketing communications roles. She most recently served as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Liz has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. from the University of Central Oklahoma. She is also a proud dog mom of a little white terrier mix named Hansel.

Christy-Dale L. Sims, Ph.D.

Program Manager

Dr. Christy-Dale Sims joined HERS as the Program Manager in June 2017. In this role, she brings together her experiences event planning, developing curricula and training resources, online teaching, intercultural and interpersonal communication training, and advocating for social equity.

Prior to this appointment, Sims was a teacher-scholar at the University of Colorado Boulder, James Madison University, and University of Denver. She received her doctorate in Communication and graduate certificate in Women and Gender Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Melanie Watson

Marketing Operations Coordinator

Melanie Watson joined HERS in February 2018 as a Marketing Operations Coordinator, where she focuses on executing strategic marketing through creative and data-driven approaches, with the mission of advancing women in leadership roles. In addition to her work at HERS, Melanie coaches girls lacrosse at Colorado Academy and volunteers for a non-profit SheSays Denver, which promotes women working in media, technology and business through educational programs, social events and networking opportunities.

Prior to HERS, Melanie was an Account Manager at mobile app company, Ibotta and before that was a member of the Biz Dev team at advertising agency, CP+B. She graduated from Bates College with a BA in Political Economics and a minor in Women Gender Studies and is currently studying for her MA in Higher Education at University of Denver. When not at HERS, you can find Melanie up in the mountains skiing, hunkered down with a good book or planning her next global adventure.

Beth Pearson, M.S.W.

Program Coordinator

Beth Pearson joined HERS as the Program Coordinator in November 2017. In this role, she brings together her experiences in event planning, workshop development and delivery, and service to the social work profession.

Prior to joining HERS, Beth served as an Admissions Counselor at the Graduate School of Social Work’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Denver. She received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Denver and Bachelor’s in Social Work from Elizabethtown College.

Brenda Sifuentez, M.A.

Research Assistant

Brenda Sifuentez joined HERS as the Research Assistant in November 2017. In this role, Brenda utilizes her extensive knowledge regarding higher education research, assessment, and program evaluation to advance the mission of HERS.

In addition to working at HERS, she is currently a PhD candidate in Higher Education at the University of Denver, Morgridge College of Education. Her overall research is grounded in social justice and equity for historically underrepresented students, faculty, and staff. She earned her MA in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from California State University, Fresno and her BA in Ethnic Studies at the University of Oregon.

Alejandra Soto

Executive Assistant to the President and External Relations Coordinator

Alejandra Soto is a young professional from Mexico City with more than six years of experience in international cooperation and development, public administration, foreign affairs and administrative matters. She recently worked for the United States Agency for International Development Mexico (USAID/Mexico) in the Justice and Citizen Security Office as Democracy and Governance/Administrative Specialist. She specialized in projects related to Crime and Violence Prevention, Rule of Law, and Human Rights. She has a Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Development from the University Institute of Research Ortega y Gassett, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences and Public Administration from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Alejandra moved to Aurora in January 2017 and has been volunteering with various organizations focused on human rights advocacy and philanthropy upon relocating to Colorado. Organizations she’s volunteered for include Denver for CEDAW, Colorado Network to End Human Trafficking (CoNEHT), University of Colorado Center on Domestic Violence, Museo de las Americas, and the City of Aurora Office of International Affairs. Additionally, she was recently elected to serve as VP of the Global Network MX (Red Global MX) of Highly Qualified Mexicans, which is supported by the Mexican Consulate in Denver and the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs in Mexico.

Alejandra is passionate about foreign affairs, human development, international aid, democracy, human rights, women empowerment, and languages. She is also a freelance translator and speaks French and Italian.

Alejandra lives in Aurora with her husband and their puppy Marley.