AURORA - The topic of the second panel discussion at the Colorado High School Activities Association’s second-annual Women in Leadership Conference will be Intimidation, Confidence and Empowerment.
 
The panel will feature two officials: Nici Akey and Delia Febres Butler, two coaches: Jessika Caldwell and LaVerne Houston, and Assistant Principal Christine Jones. The panel will be moderated by Fossil Ridge volleyball coach Natalie Burton. More information on the individual participants can be found below.
 
The panelists will talk about when they've felt intimidated, advice they'd give for when someone feels intimidated, what to do or say when someone is intimidated by you, how to change the narrative around competitive, ambitious females being bad leaders 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

Nici Akey
Official: volleyball
Nici Akey is a volleyball official with over two decades of experience officiating volleyball. Akey was previously inducted into the Colorado Volleyball Officials Association Hall of Fame, after being nominated by her fellow CVOA members. Akey has been championed by her peers for helping to build a strong relationship between the CVOA and CHSAA.

Delia Febres Butler
Official: track & field, spirit
Delia Febres Butler is a track and field and spirit official with over 30 years of experience in the field. Febres Butler is so well known for forming close bonds with the student-athletes in her orbit that she has been featured in two separate Colorado Springs Gazette articles highlighting these positive relationships. Febres Butler has also spent time as a teacher at Sierra High School.

Jessika Caldwell
Coach: girls basketball coach at Valor Christian
Jessika Caldwell is the girls basketball head coach for the reigning 6A state champion – Valor Christian. Caldwell was previously a basketball player for Baylor University, where she was a two-time team captain and the 2003-04 Big 12 Sportswoman of the Year. Following her playing career, Caldwell served as the head coach for the girls basketball team at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and an assistant coach at Colorado Christian University before accepting the head coaching job at Valor Christian.

LaVerne Huston
Coach: girls volleyball coach at Windsor and boys volleyball coach at Severance
LaVerne Huston is a member of the Colorado High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Hall of Fame and has posted a 569-299 record (.656) during her 33 seasons at the helm of the Windsor girls volleyball program. Huston’s best season came in 1995 when she coached the Wizards to a 4A State Championship victory, which they captured in straight sets. Since boys volleyball has become a CHSAA-sanctioned sport, Huston has invested time there as well, serving as the head coach for Severance’s boys volleyball program.

Christine Jones
Assistant Principal at Cherokee Trail
Christine Jones started her career at Overland High School, where she taught math and speech and debate for 16 years. She has been at Cherokee Trail since 2012, where she previously served as an Activities Director and is currently an Assistant Principal. She is also the co-president of The Center for Teacher Growth and Renewal, a non-profit dedicated to creating spaces for teachers to flourish. Christine has been active with CHSAA as a member and chair of the Speech Activities Committee and was recognized with the Sharon Wilch Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
 

Moderator

Natalie Burton
Coach: girls volleyball at Fossil Ridge
Natalie Burton is the head coach for Fossil Ridge girls volleyball and the reigning 5A Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year. Burton previously worked as the volleyball coach at Midwestern State University, and she played for Colgate University while in college. Burton also serves as the CEO for Uprise Athletics, an organization that works with athletes to improve their skills and attempt to reach higher levels of success.