Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors

The Children’s Garden of Learning’s Board of Directors is comprised of parents and/or community members who meet monthly with the CGL directors. The Board members, with their individual expertise, support the directors and the staff by assisting in the smooth operation of the school. The Board is responsible for the overall school governance, and at times acts as liaisons for parents. All staff and parents are invited to attend any or all Board meetings.

Each year, the existing Board of Directors and school directors announce the annual elections and solicit interested parents (and in some instances community members) to run for a two-year term on the Board.

  • BRADEN ANGEL

    Braden is a local attorney.  Braden received his JD in Law from the University of Denver and has an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Miami University.  Braden and his wife, Casey, live in Eagle Vail with their two children, both CGL alumni.

  • KATE WILMOUTH BARNDT

    Kate is the Vice President of Legal Affairs for The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute where she has worked for the past six years. Kate received her BA from Gonzaga University and her JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Kate and her husband, Joel, live in Eagle Vail with their two children. Their daughter attends CGL.

  • LAUREN PASQUALE BARTLETT

    Lauren Pasquale Bartlett is a long-time marketing, communications and digital media executive who has held leadership positions in healthcare staffing and large sports organizations including the National Football League, USA Hockey and the U.S. Olympic Committee. She and her husband Adam live in the Vail Valley, and their daughter attends CGL.

  • KEEGAN BAST

    Keegan is an experienced sales leader and executive with an expertise in industrial distribution. He has a proven track record of developing sales plans, managing P&L and building teams. He successfully led one private equity exit for his current employer. He is a Colorado native and moved to the Vail Valley in 2021 with his family. He lives in Edwards, CO with his wife and son, who graduated from CGL in 2025. He enjoys skiing, mountain biking, fishing and anything the outdoors has to offer.

  • PATRICK DAVIS

    Patrick works in residential wealth management mortgage banking with U.S. Bank in the Vail Valley. He comes to the CGL board with 20 years of sales and marketing experience and leadership in the mortgage banking and hospitality industries. He earned a BS in Hospitality Management from Colorado State University. Patrick and his wife Colleen have lived in the Valley since 2015. He has two children at CGL

  • JOSIE JOHN BURNETT

    A Vail native, Josie is excited to give back to the community that served her so well. She is currently taking a career sabbatical to embrace motherhood full time after a decade in tech and consulting. She holds a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. She lives in West Vail with her husband and two children, one a current CGL student and the other a future CGL-er.
  • KRISTA MILLER

    Krista has a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management and works as the Town of Vail’s Human Resources and Risk Management Director.  After raising her children here in the mountains, she has been a long-time supporter and volunteer for early childhood education programs in the Vail Valley.  Krista serves on the board on behalf of the Town of Vail, which provides capital and in-kind support for CGL in recognition of the importance of ECE for the Vail community.

  • JESS SCHMEIRER

    Jess is a kindergarten teacher at Vail Mountain School and has been teaching K-2 for the past nine years.  She has a Master’s from CU Denver and has two children attending CGL.

  • CELINE VERPLOEG

    Celine has lived in Vail since 2007.  Originally from Miami, she earned her BA in Sociology from a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania before moving out west.  Shortly after moving to Vail, she met her husband, Marco, and they have two young daughters.  She is currently a Group Sales Manager for Vail Resorts.