Women in Leadership Preview: Panel #1

AURORA – The topic of the first panel discussion at the Colorado High School Activities Association’s second-annual Women in Leadership Conference will be Mental Health & Work-Life Balance.

The panel will feature Mullen’s Melynda Brown, the NFHS’ Dana Pappas, Jefferson County’s Dawn Roberts, Rampart’s Meghan Sanders and senator Nancy Todd. The panel will be moderated by Desiree Chase. More information on the individual participants can be found below.

The panelists will talk about balancing a demanding evening workload, how they’ve struggled with mental health, how to manage having a family life and more.

CHSAA’s Women in Leadership Conference will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the Evergreen Lake House. Registration for the event is limited and there are still a couple of spots left. Anyone interested in joining, should register now.
 

Panelists

Melynda Brown
Athletic Director at Mullen High School
Melynda Brown is an accomplished Athletic Director and educator with extensive experience in both high school and collegiate sports environments. With a robust background in coaching, teaching, and leadership, she has successfully managed athletic programs, guided student-athletes and led teams to achieve their full potential. Her roles as a Computer Science and Wellness teacher, along with her current position as Athletic Director at Mullen High School, highlight her commitment to fostering student development both on and off the field. Melynda also leverages her expertise as the Director of Recruiting for Team 180 Sports, helping young athletes navigate their academic and athletic futures.

Dana Pappas
Director of Officiating Services at the NFHS
Dana Pappas has served at the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) as the Director of Officiating Services since 2021. In that role, Pappas has overseen officials programming and officials services, and has partnered with state associations to tackle the problems of providing the necessary quantity and quality of officials to member schools across the nation. She also previously spent 24 years at the New Mexico Activities Association as the Deputy Director and Commissioner of Officials.

Dawn Roberts
Assistant to the Executive Director at JeffCo Schools
Dawn Roberts is the Assistant to the Executive Director of Athletics for the Jefferson County Public School District, where she works to support athletics and activities programs for all 18 JeffCo schools and the two non-JeffCo schools that are still in the JeffCo league. Roberts previously spent nine years at Ralston Valley, where she worked in the athletics department. Notably, Dawn Roberts is also a member of the University of Northern Colorado’s Hall of Fame, as she was inducted in 2003 for her remarkable volleyball career.

Meghan Sanders
Principal at Rampart High School
Meghan Sanders has been the Principal of Rampart since the start of the 2022-23 school year and previously worked at Rampart as assistant principal, student leadership advisor, soccer coach and math teacher before accepting her current position. While serving as principal, Rampart’s ‘Bald for Bucks’ fundraiser, which Sanders participated in, raised over $50,000 for blood cancer research.

Nancy Todd
Former Colorado State Senator
Nancy Todd is a politician who served 16 years total across the Colorado Senate and Colorado House of Representatives. Todd was elected as the State Representative for District 41 and held that role from 2005 to 2013. In 2013, she became the State Senator for District 28, where she served until 2021. In 2020, she was elected the President Pro Tempore of the Colorado Senate. Todd also spent time serving as a member of CHSAA’s Board of Directors.
 

Moderator

Desiree Chase
Activities Director at Vista PEAK
Desiree Chase is the Activities Director at Vista PEAK where she oversees all of the management for the school’s various activities, including putting on the Bison Steppers’ show for the school and community. She is 100% committed to helping kids build school culture and climate, and consistently goes above and beyond in her job.