Nneka McPhee is an executive-level professional with over fifteen years of experience in resource development and non-profit management. She currently serves as the Director of Development Services for American Associates, Ben-Gurion University, an organization committed to raising awareness and support for an innovative and inclusive University in Israel.  Prior roles have included Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff for JEWISHcolorado.  

A Denver native, Nneka is passionate about giving back to her community. In addition to serving on the Board of CHSC, she is a co-founder and active member of the Sisterhood of Philanthropists Impacting Needs (SPIN) and the Treasurer/Secretary for Lincoln Hills Cares. 

Nneka is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Denver and a 2013 graduate of Chamber Connect, a program of the Urban Leadership Foundation. She holds a BS in Marketing from Metropolitan State University.

Greg Mestas has more than 20 years experience in software development for the banking industry.  He is currently the IT Director for Applications Development at FirstBank - overseeing the company's distributed, web and mobile software development efforts.  Born and raised in Denver's Lincoln Park and Highlands neighborhoods, he has a first-hand appreciation for the communities and a personal understanding of the importance of providing educational and professional development opportunities to diverse students of all socio-economic backgrounds. Greg is a veteran of the US Army Reserve and has been an active, enthusiastic volunteer for numerous nonprofit organizations since earning his undergraduate Accounting and Computer Information Systems degrees from Metropolitan State University of Denver as a nontraditional, working student.

Cyndi Bush-Luna earned her undergraduate degree and teaching license from Principia College. After teaching a few years, she then obtained an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from CU Denver. Seeing a need to serve students that struggled in conventional high schools, she, along two other teachers and a business manager, opened Colorado High School in 1994. Cyndi continued to teach history while leading the school until 1997. At that time she decided for the school to grow, she needed to focus on instructional leadership. Then in 2001, Cyndi and a committee of staff and Board members applied to DPS for a charter. Under Cyndi's guidance, Colorado High School Charter opened in 2002 as a charter school serving high risk students where she continued to serve as principal until 2013.  Cyndi has served on the Board of Directors since 2014.

Michael McArthur has more than decade of experience in higher education, specifically in student affairs, ensuring students have the tools necessary for success. Michael currently serves as a Program Manager for the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, a program created to combine tuition assistance and student supports to ensure that every Colorado student has affordable access to postsecondary opportunities. Once considered an “at-risk” student himself, Michael is an advocate for educational equity and truly believes in the power of education and the doors it can open. Michael holds a Master’s degree from Central Michigan University in Media Management and has served on the CHS board of directors since 2018. 

Stella Yu grew up in Hong Kong and has been in the US since 1964. She retired in 2016 after careers as an art educator, business entrepreneur and non-profit business owner. Yu founded Arts Street in 1995, a job-training program where youth and young adults can “earn and learn” to become a culturally competent creative workforce. Arts Street received numerous awards, including the prestigious National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award. Stella has been active in community organizing, strengthening neighborhoods, and spearheading efforts for the Asian Communities to connect and build resilience within Colorado and nationally. 

Ryan Marks has more than a decade of experience in education and is focused on leveraging evidence-based practices to create better outcomes for students. Ryan joined Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) in 2014 and is currently the Director of Evaluation and Assessment. Ryan oversees the evaluation of school performance and provides key stakeholders with access to data and research that informs high-stakes decision-making and guides strategic initiatives. Ryan has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Master of Arts in Research Methods and Statistics from the University of Denver and holds his professional teaching license with endorsements in secondary science education, gifted education, special education, and linguistically diverse education. Ryan was selected to participate in National Association of Charter School Authorizers Leaders Program in 2017. Recently, Ryan completed an Executive Leadership Program and received his administrators license. Prior to working at CSI, Ryan was a middle school science teacher in Thailand and Colorado.

Sarah originally hails from Puerto Rico and grew up in Wisconsin and Missouri before making her way to Colorado to attend the University of Denver. Sarah has a BS in Accounting from DU and an MBA in Finance and Corporate Strategy from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and is a CPA (ret).  Sarah’s professional experience includes audit and tax work with CPA firms serving small and medium-sized businesses and 15 years with Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies doing business planning and analysis, strategic planning, corporate acquisitions, human resources and communications. She joined CHSC in 2006 as the Director of Finance and Human Resources. Sarah retired from CHSC in December 2020 and is delighted to be able to stay  involved as a Board member.  She enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking, gardening, pickleball, reading, watching
football, spending time with family and friends and, most of all, spoiling her rambunctious, delightful twin grandsons who were born in 2020.