Meet Your Executive Board

An Executive Team is required per the A12GTPG bylaws with elections held in the spring of each year at a general membership meeting or through a digital vote.  For the 2026-2027 school year, Executive Board members include:

President-Carianne Colwell

Carianne Colwell has a second-grader at Hulstrom K-8 in the Adams 12 District. She has been passionate about gifted education for the last 20 years and was the gifted and talented coordinator for a middle school in rural Virginia in a previous career. Carianne is interested in research-based best practices, education for parents of gifted students, and supporting the needs of gifted students in high school. She joined the GT Parent Group in the Spring of 2023 and looks forward to continuing to build and support the community of involved parents in the district.   

Treasurer-Joanne Bliss 

Joanne Bliss has three gifted children - two at Prospect Ridge Academy and one who recently graduated from Legacy High School.  Her oldest son attended Super Saturday shortly after he was identified and she has been involved with the GT Parents Group ever since!  She is a past President of the group and is currently serving in the role of Treasurer.  Joanne is a strong proponent of building GT community and is always happy to talk to another GT parent.  

Secretary-Jennifer No

Jennifer No has a third-grader at Rocky Mountain Elementary in the Adams 12 district. A self-described seeker of knowledge, Jennifer wasted no time after her family moved to Colorado in 2025 — diving into the district's educational landscape even before her son Evan was identified as Gifted. As the parent of a twice-exceptional child, Jennifer is especially passionate about the diverse and creative ways GT students can be supported — recognizing that giftedness doesn't always look the same and that every learner deserves a pathway that fits their unique strengths. That proactive curiosity led her to the GT Parents Group, where she found both community and answers, and what began as a parent eager to understand the system has grown into an active role advocating for Evan and families like hers. She is thrilled to join the board as Secretary for the 2026-2027 school year and looks forward to championing the full spectrum of GT learners and connecting families across the district.  

Past-President-Jill Cables

Jill Cables has four secondary students in the Adams 12 School District who attend Stargate Charter School. Her family moved to Colorado in 2019, and soon after, her children were identified as gifted. That’s when she learned about the GT Parents Group and its events. She was interested in the opportunities available for her children and to learn more about giftedness herself. What began with both her and her children attending events soon turned into her volunteering and joining planning meetings. She now serves as the Past-President of the group and is eager to continue to advocate for the unique needs of these often overlooked and misunderstood learners.  

Leadership Team

At the core of the A12GTPG is the Leadership Team. This team is comprised of the Executive Board, Committee Chairs, and any parents or other community members that want to be more deeply involved in the governing and coordination of A12GTPG activities. We currently meet monthly during the school year. Lynn Saltzgaver, Director of Advanced Academic and Gifted Services, is our liaison to the Adams 12 District and attends most meetings and events. Members of the Leadership Team may volunteer to take additional responsibility within the organization such as coordination of communications, leading efforts for twice-exceptional students, website administration, or chairing special events.

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In-School Parent Liaisons

In-School Liaisons are parents within district schools who volunteer to coordinate with A12GTPG leadership to share updates on A12GTPG events and resources.  As applicable, Liaisons may help to support other GT programs and initiatives in the school and act as a resource for families within the school. If you are an active parent at your school and would like to represent your school in this way, please let us know!

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Membership

Membership is free and currently includes approximately 1400 parents/guardians of GT students in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district who have attended A12GTPG events or wish to receive information from the group. Since everything that is done by the A12GTPG is done through volunteerism, we rely on the interest and involvement of our membership.

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Organization

The A12GTPG is an affiliate of Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented (CAGT) and is an organization supported through the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district. Any donations received through events or through our website are used to pay for activities supporting GT students in our district as well as to pay for speakers at Parent Nights. Accounting is managed and reported by our Treasurer. Because we are affiliated with the Adams 12 school district, finances are also overseen and managed through the district. For more information about administration of our group, please see the A12GTPG bylaws or join us at a Leadership Team meeting to learn more.

Events

A12GTPG hosts Parent Education events each school year where experts in the field of Gifted & Talented are invited to speak. In addition, the group organizes or supports events for GT-identified students in the district at each grade level throughout the year. The group strives to offer students unique enrichment experiences and opportunities to connect with peers and mentors.

The A12GTPG was founded in 2012 by Steve Bonneau, a parent of a GT student in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district. Steve had a vision of creating an organization that served GT students and their families district-wide. The organization was founded on the basis of several areas that were believed to be important to the GT community:

• Resources: Identify GT resource gaps and work to provide needed resources through collaboration with parents, schools, the school district, and the community.
• Policy: Participate in the development, implementation, and communication of GT-related district guidelines and policies in conjunction with district staff.
• Advocacy: Act as advocates for GT students, families, parent groups, schools, and GT programs to affect change at the school, district, and state levels.
• Education: Facilitate unique educational opportunities for advanced learning and GT-related topics for students and their families.
• Community: Cultivate a strong GT community in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district by creating opportunities for interactions between families, schools and the community. These areas of interest have guided our activities since the group's inception.

The Adams 12 GT Parents Group is a parent-led group that is affiliated with the Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented and works closely with (coordinates with) the department of Advanced Academic and Gifted Services in the Adams 12 Five Star School district. It is made up of all volunteers with no paid staff. The group exists for the GT families within the district and is meant to support, enrich and educate them on matters related to being gifted. The group does not engage in political discourse nor does it endorse any candidates for local, state, or national parties. Information regarding legislation that directly impacts education and GT programming may be shared from time to time in a strictly informational way.