2025 UCCS First Annual Future Educator Conference

Amie attended Clemson University, graduating with a degree in Secondary Education – English (and a whole lot of student loan debt). She promptly moved to Colorado, which she had fallen in love with while working at a summer camp, and began teaching at Adams City High School in Commerce City.

As a brand new teacher closer in age to her students than to many of her colleagues, Amie immediately saw the challenges that so many in the community were facing: the lack of affordable housing, not enough good, family-sustaining jobs, and skyrocketing costs that put even basic needs like food and health care out of reach for too many families. Realizing that students were carrying burdens that were impacting their work in the classroom, she went back to school for a Master’s in student counseling at University of Northern Colorado, and moved to Northglenn High School to work as a school counselor.

Seeing dedicated teachers working two or three jobs to provide for their families and teaching in rundown schools with outdated textbooks and equipment spurred Amie to become more involved in her local union. Her passion for better learning conditions for students and better working conditions for teachers eventually led to leadership roles within the union.

Amie served as President of the District 12 Educators’ Association and the ethnic minority member at-large on the Colorado Education Association Board of Directors before serving six years as Vice President and six years as President of CEA, which represents nearly 40,000 teachers and support professionals and is the largest union in the state of Colorado. She is currently the Executive Director of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. Her husband, Matt, is a school principal, and their three children attend Adams 12 public schools.