The Team

Before her current role in Residential Life, Sandy was the Human Resources and Administration Manager at Eagle Rock for 8 years, responsible for benefits, new hire orientations, risk management, student insurances and assisting with other special projects like our 25th anniversary. She moved from Hollywood, California, where for 8 years she worked as a Benefits Manager, Workers' Compensation Coordinator, and Safety Officer for Jay Nolan Community Services. JNCS is a non-profit organization that assists individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities. She is an Eagle Rock graduate and is super excited to be in the community that helped her as a student. Sandy studied Business Management at the University of Redlands in California, then continued her education at Colorado State University. She loves all animals and all mediums of art. She continues to help the ERS community and the student body in many creative ways and she loves every crazy minute of it!

Jocelyn Rodriguez brings dynamic work experience to her role as the Admissions and Enrollment Manager at Eagle Rock School. With extensive experience in both domestic and international educational settings, including work in Europe, Central America, and the Caribbean. Jocelyn leverages her deep understanding and cultural exchange to enhance her work.

Her previous roles at Eagle Rock—including Athletics Coordinator, House Parent, and Instructional Specialist—allowed her to deeply engage with the school’s unique educational approach. Now, Jocelyn is excited to work in admissions, where she aims to connect young people with the school’s immersive and transformative educational experiences. Her dedication to fostering connections and her love for learning about new cultures continue to drive her work, ensuring that students have the opportunity to thrive in a supportive and dynamic environment.

Hanna is passionate about progressive education and loves getting to work in the intersection of education and social change, cultivating learning environments that all students can see themselves reflected in. Hanna has a deep love of people, travel, culture and history and has had invaluable experiences both in and out of school, from her graduate study in International Affairs in NYC, to living and teaching in rural Nepal, to leading a group of middle schoolers to Uganda for a cultural exchange program. Hanna understands the power that education can have in shaping our future. She has worked in a variety of educational and non-profit settings, and has spent the past several years building and leading a middle school in Nashville, TN . She loves living and working at Eagle Rock with her husband, Michael, three children, Esme, Didi and Arlo and two dogs!

Michael is the Mathematics Instructional Specialist at Eagle Rock. He was the mathematics fellow at Eagle Rock from 2007-08, and has been driving to engage youth in their own lives and education ever since. In the years since his fellowship, Michael has worked in NYC, Denver, and Nashville as a math and science teacher, and was also the COO of a startup. He believes that everyone is a mathematician and that everyone can love and understand math. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Economics from Asbury University and his Master’s degree in Education from Framingham State University. Michael has 3 inspiring kids and 2 goofy dogs with his partner, Hanna.

Courthney Russell, Jr. is our residential life program coordinator. Courthney is responsible for fostering a safe and secure environment within the Eagle Rock community. He is a key member of the student services team and coordinates activities for students with staff and houseparents. Courthney was born in Fort Knox, lived in the US Virgin Islands for a time, and eventually moved to East Atlanta, an underserved community devoid of options. His neighborhood taught him survival skills, but his family wanted more for him and made education a priority. Unfortunately, Courthney didn’t always share this priority. By the time he graduated from high school, his tendency toward stereotypical behavior had him on a collision course with incarceration or death. In a last-ditch effort, he applied to medical school and was surprised to be accepted. There he found a passion that was unquenchable and made the choice to dedicate his life to humanity. The road wasn’t easy. He experienced homelessness which meant juggling the responsibilities of being a student and the realities of living on the street. As a result, he shifted his perspective and set his life in a new direction. He graduated in 2011 with a medical degree and a new mission: to leverage his knowledge in a non-traditional way to become an authentic, determined, humble leader by example. Because of his past, Courthney is uniquely qualified to serve the Eagle Rock community.

Mark Rutberg is Eagle Rock’s Dean of Outdoor Education and Athletics. Mark is responsible for creating and implementing a vision around empowering students to lead healthy lifestyles. Prior to joining Eagle Rock, Mark spent 6 years at Sanborn Western Camps, most recently as a director for the camp’s summer residential adventure program in Colorado. He grew up in New York and has a B.S. in Kinesiology and Pedagogy from the University of New Hampshire, where he also played football. After university, Mark worked as an athletic director and educator in New York City for 4 years prior to moving to Europe to teach at an American International School in the Netherlands. Mark holds a Masters Degree in Health Education, a certificate as a K-12 teacher, a level 2 ropes course instructor, a single pitch climbing instructor, and Wilderness First Responder. He has also participated in a NOLS 30-day outdoor educator mountaineering course. Mark finds passion in helping youth discover their potential and self-worth. As someone who struggled in traditional academic settings, Mark uncovered his own confidence and sense of self-worth through experiential education and team sports throughout his academic career and, more recently, through outdoor education. Mark and his partner Sara are Piñon houseparents and they live on campus with their dog Jerry.

Trinity Sison (she/her/hers) is the Human Performance Fellow at Eagle Rock School.  Trinity graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a double minor in Communications and Social Justice. To name some experiences from her undergraduate chapter, she would play an active role within her residential community as a Residential Assistant, be the Historian of PASA (Pinoy American Student Association), work in operations for the Auraria Sustainable Campus Program, be the undergraduate representative for DEI Planning in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, do volunteer research work for the Healthy Couples Lab, and do historical research for a convict cemetary. She has also been a part of a wide array of volunteer experiences in community-care based initiatives and organizations in Denver and Aurora.  Trinity is determined to further her education and pursue a master's degree in Special Education or Child Development.  Trinity has a passion for music. She plays guitar, ukulele, listens to music, and sings. Additional interests and hobbies she have include cooking and traveling. She also has an active lifestyle with experience in martial arts, calisthenics, climbing, and dancing. She loves to spend time in the outdoors to get sunlight and play whenever given the opportunity! She also loves to spend time with family and friends, go on walks and drives, watch animated shows/movies, and play sports recreationally such as basketball and pickleball.  Trinity is looking forward to fostering collective wellness and cultivating space for students to have happy and full days in the Eagle Rock community!

Tanya is a second year Literature and Literacy Fellow and a houseparent for Pinon. She teaches English classes, runs the Spectrum club for queer students, and occasionally tags along on Wilderness trips as an Instructor. Tanya graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor’s in Sociology and a minor in English. She interned with CSU's Community Literacy Center SpeakOut! Program where she led weekly creative writing workshops at a women’s housing shelter and published an annual journal of their work; this work lives on in Tanya's classroom as she uses the power of literacy to empower and inspire students. Additionally, Tanya has been published herself in CSU’s Literary Journals, Spiritus Mundi and The Greyrock Review, and in the University of New Mexico’s Literary Journal, Scribendi. Ever since reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed in 4th grade, Tanya fell in love with the outdoors and backpacking, which led her to work as an instructor for both day and overnight camps at Avid4 Adventure, where she led students ages 3-12 in various outdoor activities and found her passion for working with youth. Tanya is a strong believer in the importance of introducing people to the outdoors in order to foster a sustainable and empowering connection with nature. Tanya’s Sociology coursework has provided her with a critical lens that is always analyzing culture and power structures to question accepted norms. She is passionate about empowering individuals to resist unjust hierarchies and building a more equitable future.

Cami is the Director of Belonging at Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center, where they lead the implementation of strategies rooted in antiracism, social justice, and belonging. With experience in educational program management, youth development, and racial equity, Cami is dedicated to fostering transformative educational environments that prioritize the power of youth-adult partnerships and the possibilities of liberatory education.

Cami’s background includes a BA in Africology and an MA in African and African Diaspora Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Their career has been marked by a deep commitment to the liberation of Black and queer communities, beginning with their work in economic development and financial independence for Black communities. This commitment evolved into a focus on healing justice, particularly through their role as co-founder and Policy and Advocacy Director of Maroon Calabash, a reproductive justice organization. Cami has also served as an equity consultant for non-profits and educational institutions.

Cami’s leadership is grounded in right-relationship ensuring that all members of the Eagle Rock community—and the broader educational landscape—experience a sense of belonging and are equipped to engage in meaningful, transformative work. Their approach is deeply influenced by healing justice and beloved community frameworks, emphasizing the importance of relationship building, community care, and the belief that “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,” as Fannie Lou Hamer famously stated.

Jesse has a masters degree in clinical psychology from Geneva University in Switzerland and has successfully participated in multiple trainings regarding therapy with couples, families and teenagers. He has extensive experience working with teenagers and families in different mental health institutions. Jesse also has been involved in diverse programs relating to violence prevention, community and leadership in multicultural’s settings in different countries. Previous to Eagle Rock School he was directing a training center in Palo Alto, Calif., dedicated to providing professional development to a large variety of professionals working in the mental health and medical fields. Here at Eagle Rock, Jesse provides individual and group counseling, coordinates student mental health services outside the school, coordinates student psychotropic treatments with appropriate providers and provides support to teachers and house parents on campus.

Caitlin joins Eagle Rock School as Special Projects Coordinator where she works to create opportunities for students to learn and practice horticulture, to foster community and media access through library programming, and collaborate with staff to support students as an academic advisor and Juniper House Parent. Having grown up in the deciduous forests and freshwater lakes of Michigan, Caitlin finds joy exploring the unique natural environments she has called home while also working to protect and share those places with others as an educator and environmental steward through organizations like AmeriCorps (Massachusetts), San Joaquin Outdoor School (California), Summer in the City (Detroit), AIM Academy (Pennsylvania), and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Most recently she spent 5 years supporting avian conservation as an assistant bird bander, educator, and curriculum consultant for Willistown Conservation Trust in Newtown Square, PA. This is also where she put her years of experience weeding and tending her mother’s extensive gardens to use as a farm worker for the community-supported agriculture program at Rushton Farm. Caitlin earned her bachelor’s from Indiana University and a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in advocacy and education. When she’s not coddling seedlings and slinging library cards, Caitlin enjoys riding her bike, romping with her dog, Kelly, getting to know the local wildlife, baking banana muffins for the Juniper House family, and reading the next epic fantasy series.

Belle is the Language and Literacy Specialist at Eagle Rock School. She has dedicated the last 5 years to working with at-promise youth, most recently as an English Language Development teacher at Estes Park High School. She has a BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Western Colorado University. This also happens to be the place where she found herself in the outdoors and went from, "I can't do that" to "I'm going to do that and I'm going to do it by myself."

Belle strongly believes that education should be built on a foundation of trust and growth, not shame, that language is power and, that perfection is a false goal because there is no such thing as perfect, only works in progress. She is well known for the relationships she builds with colleagues and students. She remembers how difficult her own high school experience was and wants to change how education has caused harm to students.

If she isn't talking about her students, she is talking about her dogs or something paranormal. Belle is a passionate educator, an adventurer, and advocate for others.