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Board of Education Members
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The Pueblo School District 60 Board of Education is responsible for educational planning and evaluation, staffing and appraisal, school facilities, financial resources and communication. The Board, whose powers and duties are set by state law, acts as a court of appeal for staff members, students and the public on issues involving board policy or implementation of that policy.
The Board is composed of five members, elected at-large, to alternating four-year terms. Elections are held every two years. Board members are not paid; they give freely of their time to serve the community. After each School Board election, the Board chooses its officers for the next two years. If vacancy occurs, the Board names an appointee to serve until the next election.
The regular meetings of the Board of Education are scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Administrative Services Center, Arapahoe Room, 315 W. 11th Street.
Board Member Biographies
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Susan Pannunzio , President
Mrs. Sue Pannunzio has lived in Colorado since 1979, and has been a Pueblo resident since 1996. She is a graduate of CSU in Fort Collins where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocational Home Economics Education. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley College.
Her career began at Grand Junction High School as a vocational instructor, where she took on roles as a department chair and a district teacher trainer. Later, life led her to Pueblo, where she cherished time as a stay-at-home mom until her children were in school full-time.
In 2001, after gaining her endorsement in Elementary Education, she joined School District 60. For the next 19 years, she found purpose and success as a reading coach and interventionist at the elementary level, as well as, teaching first and third grades. She also served on School Leadership Teams, No Bully Teams, School Accountability Teams, and acted as a RTI Coordinator.
Mrs. Pannunzio’s entire career has revolved around working with kids. She genuinely believes they hold the key to our future, and the education they receive during their K-12 years shapes them for the rest of their lives – there’s nothing more important than that. After, 33 years of being an educator, Mrs. Pannunzio retired in 2020 from D60, but her desire to make a positive impact on kids’ lives hasn’t waned one bit. She still wants to help them reach their fullest potential, paving the way for the brightest future possible.
Mrs. Pannunzio was elected to the Board of Education in November 2023, and elected President in December 2023. Her term expires in November 2027. She can be reached by email at susan.pannunzioboe@pueblod60.org.
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Dr. Kathy DeNiro, Vice President
Dr. Kathy DeNiro is a native Coloradoan, raised in Pueblo, and attended K-12 Pueblo School District 60 (D60) schools. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Denver.
She served in teaching and staff positions as well as central and school administration roles in D60. Past experience also includes School Board President, Vice President, and Board Director for D60.
For the past five years, she has been an Educational Consultant collaborating with schools to improve positive school culture. She has delivered trainings throughout the nation and passionately believes that kids want to learn, teachers want to teach, and everyone, including parents, wants a safe and caring learning environment.
Past honors include selection as Colorado Middle School Principal of the Year from the National Association Secondary School Principals. Also, a member of the United States Olympic Committee Sports Festival, and United States Olympic Committee World Hemisphere Tournament, Taipei, Twain, serving as a certified athletic trainer of sports medicine.
Dr. DeNiro was elected to the Board in November of 2021. Her term expires in November of 2025. She can be reached by email at drkathy.deniroboe@pueblod60.org.
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Brian Cisneros, Member
Biography coming soon.
Board Member Cisneros was elected to serve the remaining two-year term for former baord member Cranswick on November 7, 2023. His term expires in November 2025. Board Member Cisneros can be reached by email at brian.cisnerosboe@pueblod60.org.
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Dennis Maes, Member
Dennis Maes graduated from St. Mary High School in Walsenburg, Colorado, Southern Colorado State College, and the University of Colorado School of Law.
He taught school in Gardner, Colorado for two years before attending law school. He started his law career in Pueblo, Colorado in 1972 and was appointed to the district court bench in 1988 where he served until May, 2012.
His wife, Donna, and daughters, Melisa and Lise, and his granddaughters attended District 60 Schools.
Board Member Maes was elected to the Board of Education in November 2023. He is presently serving his second term as a D60 board member, and his current term expires in November 2027. He can be reached by email at dennis.maesboe@pueblod60.org or by phone at (719) 406-1778.
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Bill Thiebaut, Member
Bill Thiebaut attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Risley Junior High School, and Heaton Junior High School before attending and graduating from The Abbey School, a Benedictine boarding school for young men, located in Canon City, Colorado.
In 1970 he graduated from the University of New Mexico where he studied business administration and accounting. During college, he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After graduating from college, he attended the night division of Oklahoma City University School of Law while working as a law clerk for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and the Oklahoma Attorney General.
After graduating from law school, and for nearly four decades, he practiced law in Pueblo. He also has served in public office as a citizen: public trustee, state representative, state senator (he was Colorado Senate Majority Leader for two years), and Pueblo district attorney. He was privileged to be the 2002 Democrat Party nominee for Lt. Governor of Colorado. In 2010 two Colorado U.S. Senators nominated him to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado under the Obama Administration. Recently, he served eight years on the Transportation Commission of Colorado as a gubernatorial appointee and as its chairperson.
For nearly four decades he has been an adjunct faculty member in the Political Science Department at Colorado State University-Pueblo. While teaching, he graduated from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico and received the degree of M.A. in Liberal Arts.
He and his wife are proud parents of 15 children. All their children have been educated in District 60, and many of their 41 grandchildren have attended or are attending school in District 60. Their first great grandson was born in 2023.
He has been known to say: “As I grow older, I do not grow content. I constantly strive, as was once written, ‘to synthesize wisdom from long life experience,’ and am constantly challenging myself to think about big ideas from different perspectives and open my eyes to how each student in District 60 can be better challenged and how each student can embrace lifelong learning.”
Board Member Thiebaut was elected to the Board of Education in November 2023. His term expires in November 2027. Board Member Thiebaut can be reached by email at william.thiebautboe@pueblod60.org.