District Leadership Team
Philip Qualman, Superintendent
Philip Qualman is the Superintendent of Eagle County School District. The superintendent establishes the vision for the school district, manages community and government relations, and ensures the overall operational efficiency of the district.
For over 16 years, Phil has been a noteworthy leader in Education. You may know him as the former Principal of Battle Mountain High School, or through his role as Assistant Superintendent for the school district. Phil is passionate about developing young people into confident, smart adults. He’s known for championing inclusion and equity to create learning environments where students feel safe and supported for success.
A self-described river rat, the thrill of running whitewater brought Phil to Colorado decades ago, and he is still likely to be on a river somewhere in his free time.
Natalia Olle, Executive Assistant
Natalia Olle is the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and the Board of Education. She provides administrative support to the Superintendent and Board Members in coordinating the day-to-day compliance and operations of the Superintendent's Office.
Natalia has resided in Eagle County for many years and graduated from Battle Mountain High School. She believes that education is a pivotal point for creating the change we want to see in the world.
In her free time, Natalia enjoys gardening during the summers, visiting National Parks, camping, river rafting and just being outdoors as she believes Eagle County summers are the best! She likes to go snowmobiling in the winter.
Dr. Katie Jarnot, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction
Dr. Katie Jarnot is the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Katie supervises all staff, programs, and curriculum that impact students on the universal level, which is to say all students without an exceptional learning status. She supervises the Educator Quality department, Instructional Coaches, Curriculum Coordinators, and Counselors, and oversees the AVID, CareerX, CareerWise, Early College High School, and ASCENT programs. Katie ensures that the district’s curriculum aligns with Colorado academic standards. She also manages our Student Data Systems and SAT preparation courses.
Katie is a product of Eagle County School District, having matriculated through the system and graduating from Battle Mountain High School. As an adult, she is an accomplished leader in the district. You may know her as the former Principal of Eagle Valley Middle School. She’s a self-described “kid-whisperer” who has helped countless middle schoolers gracefully deal with the social and life changes that puberty brings.
Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time with her family and dog.
Melisa Rewold-Thuon, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services
Melisa Rewold-Thuon is the Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services. Student Support Services focuses on Exceptional Student Services, Gifted and Talented Education, language acquisition, mental health, and academic and behavioral intervention programs. These are specialized supports beyond universal instruction to help students succeed. In addition, Melisa manages truancy, and oversees federal, state, and foundation grants.
Melisa has been an outstanding Educational leader in Eagle County. You may know her as the former Principal of Avon Elementary, or through her role as Executive Director of YouthPower365. She works fervently to ensure all barriers to education are removed so students can focus on learning and developing.
In her free time, Melisa enjoys skiing, camping, and boating with her family.
Sandra Farrell, Chief Operating Officer
Sandra Farrell is the Chief Operating Officer of Eagle County School District. She oversees our Business Services, Transportation, Nutrition, and Facilities departments. Sandy ensures all business and investment transactions for the school district are properly recorded and reported according to Colorado law, federal agencies, and our Board of Education policies. She conducts internal audits and facilitates the external auditing process.
A veteran in School Finance and Leadership, since coming to the district from Adams 14 in the Denver Metro, Sandy has worked hard to increase the financial transparency of the district and is passionate about the community understanding how its schools are financed and operate efficiently.
Sandy enjoys spending free time taking her Jeep into the backcountry, golfing, hiking, and snowmobiling.
Matthew Miano, Chief Communications Officer
Matthew Miano is the Chief Communications Officer for Eagle County School District. He works alongside the rest of the communications team to ensure timely and transparent communications and marketing initiatives for the district.
Most recently, Miano comes from Asheville, NC, where he spent two years as a public relations specialist and event manager for the City of Asheville and Buncombe County Government. Prior to that he spent 19 years in Summit County most notably spearheading communication and marketing efforts for the Town of Dillon and the Dillon Amphitheater and then working at the Town of Vail as their economic development coordinator.
He has advised and worked with various boards and councils including the Vail Local Marketing District Advisory Council and the Colorado Association of Ski Towns.
In his free time you’ll find him outside going up and down mountains both on bikes and skis with his family. Or inside, watching Tar Heel basketball and the Buffalo Bills.
Adele Wilson, Chief Human Resources Officer
Adele Wilson is the Chief Human Resources Officer. Adele leads the effort to attract and retain skilled, competent, and productive staff members for our licensed and support staff positions. She assists all school and department leaders with employee evaluations, labor relations, strategic compensation, personnel policies, and employee discipline matters.
With 17 years of experience at Eagle County School District, Adele is a recognized leader in Human Relations. Her passion is ensuring that our employees are well cared for, supported, and able to focus on teaching and supporting the students of the community. Adept at conflict resolution and the development of a positive culture, Adele’s influence reaches across nearly 1,000 employees.
In her spare time, Adele enjoys reading, movie-going and spending time with her two sons, in particular watching them play hockey.
John "Jack" Donnelly, Chief Technology Officer
John “Jack” Donnelly serves as the district’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Donnelly was most recently serving as CEO of The ETTS Group, an enterprise technology and telecom solutions agency. Prior to that role, he served as the Vice President of Information Technology for Fresenius Medical Care and the Director of Systems & Network Engineering for Intrado, Inc and has spent his career in the medical industry building high functioning teams while providing real time support and assistance.
In his free time Jack can be found on the softball diamond where he was won 10 State Championships (including the Tennessee State Olympics), 4 World Championships and has been named a 4 time All American.
Troy Lange, Executive Director of Exceptional Student Services
Troy Lange is the Executive Director of Exceptional Student Services for Eagle County School District, leading the Special Education, Gifted and Talented Education, and Nursing departments.
Mr. Lange spent 13 years as a School Psychologist before taking a role as the Director of Special Projects at Mountain BOCES, then becoming its Director of Special Education before taking the helm as Executive Director. After moving over to Colorado River BOCES, Lange oversaw both Gifted and Special Education and also worked to implement an Alternative Licensure Program.
He has also led numerous trainings, including Franklin Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Four Disciplines of Execution, and Four Essential Roles of Leadership. Lange’s experience has led him to sit on various task forces and review panels as well, all in support of exceptional student services and many led by the Colorado Department of Education and other state level agencies.