SDS About Us

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 22 - Room 27

303-871-3241
Beth.Cartwright@du.edu

Beth graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications: Broadcast News. She moved to Colorado more than 22 years ago and started worked for Janus Funds, settling domestic and foreign trades. After her son, Jack, was born, she stayed home for a time until she became a preschool teacher at Christ Lutheran Church Preschool in Highlands Ranch, where she worked for 15 years. Most recently, she spent two years as an Admissions Counselor for Southern New Hampshire University’s online degree programs. What she enjoyed most was working with students from all different walks of life and helping them in achieving their goals and dreams of earning an undergraduate degree. Beth loves to read, practice yoga, and spend time with her family and friends.

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 22 Room 25

303-871-7432
Catherine.Wharton@du.edu

Dr. Catherine Wharton blends her expertise with mental health and learning disabilities as it relates to higher education access and ADA accommodations.  Dr. Wharton graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University with a M.A. in Counseling and spent 10 years in the Chicago area as director of the assessment department - evaluating patients for psychiatric hospitalization.  In this role, Dr. Wharton assessed patients for psychiatric hospitalization and ultimately supervised the 24/7 operation of psychiatric hospital assessment.

Dr. Wharton joined Lynn University in 2006 where she supervised the tutoring center and taught courses in psychology. Dr. Wharton became a Certified Developmental Education Specialist through the Kellogg Institute at Appalachian State University in 2008. In 2010, Dr. Wharton was promoted to the Director of the Diagnostic Center for Educational Assessment where she oversaw reviewing and interpreting student psychological evaluations for the purpose of creating an academic support plan and recommending ADA accommodations. Dr. Wharton also developed programs and services for students with disabilities and students on academic probation. 

In 2015, Dr. Wharton was chosen for the first 100% paid scholarship in the Educational Leadership doctoral program. Upon graduation in 2018 with a dissertation entitled, Reading Comprehension in Two Accommodated Reading Tasks with College Students with Reading Disabilities, Dr. Wharton was promoted to ADA Specialist where she developed a stand-alone department, was responsible for all student related access, training and mentoring staff, developed a communication system for prospective students/families, advocated for and developed a dedicated webpage, advocated for and provided training to stakeholders in the adoption of a new digital management platform (Accommodate), developed university ADA policies, as well as created and implemented professional development campus wide.  Since first presenting the nationally recognized curriculum, How to Create a Faculty Responsibilities ADA Training course at the (Association on Higher Education and Disability) AHEAD conference in July 2021, AHEAD has requested Dr. Wharton to provide three additional webinars on this topic. 

Dr. Wharton also provides professional development for other external sources such as college counselors, education consultants, and private K-12 schools. She is particularly interested in integrating compensatory strategies, motivational theory and practice within pedagogy to foster a classroom environment of confidence and competence leading to student mastery.

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 13 Room 15
303-871-7562

alicia.roman@du.edu

Alicia has over 10 years of experience working in education and disability advocacy. Alicia currently holds a master’s degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Clark University. Her studies have focused on support services for students with disabilities and exploring the narratives of college students who live with a disability. Her goal has been to improve student motivation and retention. She is currently working on her Doctoral Degree in Education and Human Development at the University of North Dakota.

Alicia has worked in a variety of educational settings. After completing her MBA, Alicia moved to Taipei, Taiwan, and taught English and Art in the K-12 environment. Once she returned home, she transitioned into the field of higher education. She worked with students who were registered with disability services at the community college level. She has also had several years’ experience as an academic advisor. Alicia is very passionate about teaching and leadership. She currently holds a position as an adjunct professor for the Colorado Community College System. Her curriculum follows the principles of Universal Design for Learning.

Alicia is thrilled to be working in the Disability Services Program (DSP) at the University of Denver (DU). She follows a strength-based approach with students and is excited to help students see the value in themselves. In Alicia’s free time, she loves to travel, hike, compete in triathlons, and create artwork. Alicia is looking forward to being a part of your educational journey!

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 22 Room 27
303-871-4465
caroline.newcomb@du.edu

Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Psychology and Anthropology. She went on to study at Vanderbilt University, where she earned a Masters of Education. She spent six years working for Denver Public Schools, where she became passionate about working with students and mentoring them to advocate for their emotional and educational needs. Through this work, Caroline gained first-hand experience in supporting students with a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral needs. She has been particularly passionate about supporting students who fall on the neurodivergent spectrum, as well as supporting students with mental health disabilities. She firmly believes that all students should be given the opportunities they need to gain equitable access to education. 

In her free time, Caroline enjoys hiking and exploring with her partner and her dog. She loves traveling and practicing her Spanish skills to be able to better communicate with her partner’s family. Outside of work, you can almost always find her with a book in her hands. Caroline truly looks forward to meeting you and supporting you during your time at DU! 

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 13 Room 16
303-871-4139
emily.hirsch@du.edu

Emily has worked in the education and non-profit sector in the Denver Metro Area for the past several years, helping students with disabilities make the transition from high school to college and learn how to self-advocate on a college campus. She started her professional and educational career earning her bachelor’s degree in Family Studies & Human Development at the University of Arizona. Shortly after moving to Denver, Emily started working at the Colorado "I Have a Dream" Foundation, where she spent four years providing in-depth case management to students, focusing on social–emotional support and career/college readiness. She became very passionate about helping all students gain access to an equitable education, and began a three-year stint with Denver Public Schools as an Employment Specialist with the School to Work Alliance Program. She gained firsthand experience helping students with disabilities reach their career and educational goals through work based learning opportunities. Emily likes to spend free time outside mountain biking, skiing, and hiking with her dog. She looks forward to meeting with you and supporting your educational journey here at DU.

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 30 Room 48
Jamie.jackson@du.edu
303-871-2269

Jamie is originally from Colorado, and received her BA in Social Studies Education from Colorado State University. After graduation, she taught high school geography in Aurora, Colorado. Her classroom’s predominant demographic was non-English speaking immigrants and refugees from various countries around the world. This experience helped ignite her passion for making education accessible for all. Jamie then moved to Spain, where she taught English and Art. This gave her the opportunity to connect with a younger demographic, placing a strong emphasis on childhood development. When she returned home, she spent seven years working for an educational-therapeutic program geared toward helping young adults make a successful transition to college. This role gave her direct insight into the roadblocks students with disabilities face, and provided her with the opportunity to work one-on-one with students to develop and enhance their executive functioning.

Jamie is currently working towards her master’s degree in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. She has over ten years of experience working in the academic sector and believes in the life changing power of education. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, and spending as much time as possible with her dog, Griffey. She looks forward to meeting you and supporting you during your academic journey here at DU!

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 30 Room 49
Joni.alber@du.edu
303-871-3465

Originally from Pueblo, Colorado, Joni graduated from Colorado State University of Pueblo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Management. She then went on to pursue a second Bachelors in Recreational Therapy at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her professional development began with 5 years of working with many different populations in the recreational field where she developed skills to adapt a variety of programs to meet the social, cognitive, spiritual, emotional and physical needs of her participants. Being able to adapt these programs has also given her first hand experience working with a variety of people with disabilities. She then proceeded to start her career journey in the education field by continuing to use those adaptation skills by assessing students and helping them navigate their career path. In this role, Joni worked for an online course provider that partnered with 50 different universities world wide, and was able to assist students to enroll into a program that best met their educational goals, and assisted with any accommodations that followed. In Joni’s free time she enjoys playing golf, watching football and hockey, reading and spending time with her friends and family. She looks forward to meeting you and supporting your educational experiences!

Chris.Gutierrez@du.edu

303-871-4923

Joining us from California, Chris has worked with individuals with disabilities in an education setting for over eight years. After earning a B.A in History and Latin American Studies from Cornell University, they decided to pursue teaching with a non-profit in New York City. Through this experience Chris became passionate about teaching and working to remove systemic barriers for students. After teaching in NYC, Chris joined Teach for America and pursued a master’s degree in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University. Chris taught students with disabilities ranging in ages from 2 to 22 for eight years in the classroom setting where she has dedicated her professional career to accessibility and advocacy for those with disabilities. In their free time, Chris enjoys travelling, going to concerts, and talking endlessly about her rescue pup, Leo. She is very excited to join the DU SDS team and can’t wait to support you on your academic journey!

Naomi.Savas@du.edu

303-871-3289

Naomi is originally from Michigan, and received her BA in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. After graduation, she gained financial experience working within healthcare revenue management cycle, simultaneously gaining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategic planning knowledge and implementation through Jennifer Brown Consulting. Taking her knowledge into practice, she then joined the Denver Broncos business team as their inaugural DEI Program Coordinator. Her experience fueled the internal passion for creating spaces that are intentionally made for people of various identities. She then proceeded to start her career journey in the education field at the University of Denver by continuing to use her inclusive leadership skills gaining an expertise in the ability world through adapting University wide student coursework and assisting students with their career path navigation.

In her free time, Naomi enjoys watching sports and playing on her local women’s recreational basketball team. She has also been skiing for 21 years and still counting. Hiking, creating small art, walking dogs, traveling, and listening to live music are some of her other favorite past times.

Driscoll Center South, Garden Level, Suite 30, Room 57
 

Erin.Presta@du.edu

Born and raised in Colorado, Erin is thrilled to be working as an Accommodations Specialist here at DU! Erin grew up in Centennial and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She also participated in their Teacher Licensure Program and worked in Littleton Public Schools as a classroom teacher for 6 years. Erin taught kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade during those 6 years. She worked to create a classroom environment that was welcoming, inclusive, and encouraging for students to take risks and feel comfortable being vulnerable. This is the same environment that Erin will create as an Accommodations Specialist. Erin also spent a semester in Spain teaching English to students ages 3-12 which was a fantastic and fulfilling experience. She was able to immerse herself in the Spanish culture while living with her host family during the week, then travel to a variety of cities and countries on the weekends. Erin has always had a passion for education and helping others succeed. She believes in creating an equitable environment that allows all students to grow academically, social-emotionally, and personally. 

In her free time, she enjoys cheering on the Buffs and all of the Denver sports teams. She loves trying new restaurants, spending time with friends and family, and traveling. Erin is excited to continue working with students, this time in the college setting as they navigate the next chapter in their education journey!