St. Vrain Valley Schools Superintendent Jackie Kapushion, Ed.D., was honored last month with an Alumni Leadership Award from the University of Colorado Denver School of Education & Human Development. The award recognizes graduates whose leadership has strengthened schools and communities across Colorado.
Kapushion earned her doctorate from CU Denver in 2019 and was one of five alumni recognized at this year’s ceremony. Her career in public education spans 38 years, beginning in the classroom and continuing through roles as a principal and district administrator before she was named superintendent of St. Vrain Valley Schools.
When she accepted the award, Kapushion spent her time at the microphone emphasizing the importance of public education and the teaching profession.
“Honor and encourage our educators and give them the support needed to persevere in this profession. Encourage the most brilliant people you know, who want to live a life of extraordinary purpose, to become a teacher and work in education. Working in public schools is the highest honor and responsibility that no other profession can begin to replicate.”
Marvin Lynn, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education & Human Development, opened the evening by describing the reach of the school’s graduates and what it means to see them leading districts, schools, and community organizations throughout the state. Susana Córdova, commissioner of the Colorado Department of Education and a CU Denver graduate herself, served as emcee. Provost Karen Marrongelle, Ph.D., shared that every honoree had earned a CU Denver degree within the past decade and now holds a position of real influence in Colorado education.
Near the end of the program, Lynn asked the faculty mentors in the room to stand and be recognized. It was a small moment, but it matched something each honoree had said in one way or another, which is that nobody arrives in this work alone.
Kapushion’s message that evening was equal parts gratitude and charge. Our public schools are worth protecting, and the people who staff them are worth championing. That work belongs to all of us, in St. Vrain Valley and well beyond it.