Council Members

Anne Beard headshot

Anne Beard

CLAS Staff Council Secretary • Business Services Professional
Sociology
For 11 years, Anne helped develop the Clinical Health Psychology PhD program in the department of Psychology and now works in the department of Sociology. By serving on the council, Anne wants to elevate the perspectives of staff on matters that affect their lives at work and to expand the paths available to staff for improving their job satisfaction and advancing their careers.
Michelle Medal headshot

Michelle A. Médal

CLAS Staff Council Chair • Program Assistant II
Communication
Michelle joined the Communication department at CU Denver in August 2010. Previously, she worked at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) in Boulder, Colorado for eight years. She earned her MA in Education Policy from CU Boulder, and knew that she wanted to work on a university campus where she could make a difference for students and staff. Outside of work, Michelle is past president and current treasurer...
Maria Rase headshot

Maria Rase

CLAS Staff Council Treasurer • Business Operations Specialist
Health and Behavioral Sciences
Maria started her tenure at the University of Colorado Denver in the Civil Engineering department. After several years moved to CLAS and has joined the CLAS administrators in supporting a mission of creating student experiences that will equip students with the cross-cultural skills necessary to succeed diverse global society. Currently, Maria is the Business Operations Specialist in Health and Behavioral Sciences.
james Salmen

James Salmen

Laboratory Coordinator III
Biology
James started with CU Denver over 20 years ago. His position in the Integrative Biology department has given him a varied list of responsibilities that continues to grow as the department grows. Prior coming to CU Denver he received his M.S. and B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and tutored students at AIMS Community college.
Kristen Kang Salsbury

Kristen Salsbury

CLAS Staff Council Vice Chair • Program Manager
Continuing and Professional Education
Kristen has worked in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) as the Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) Program Manager since September 2017. Prior to CU Denver, she worked at UCLA Extension and has over a decade of experience working with continuing education, extended studies, lifelong learning, custom/corporate training, and other non-traditional educational programs in a wide variety of modalities. She currently manages a variety of CLAS Extended Studies...
Angela Schmitt headshot

Angela Schmitt

Business Operations Coordinator
Political Science
Angie holds a Bachelor's degree in music education from Grand Valley State University, a Master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Colorado Boulder, and is pursuing her MBA at the University of Colorado Denver. She has worked extensively in higher education in administration, project management, and as a graduate assistant instructor at CU. Having held multiple positions in public school education, she loves working individually and...
Kayla Spencer headshot

Kayla Spencer

Administrative Assistant
Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Kayla was born and raised in Thornton, Colorado, and recently joined the University of Colorado Denver as an Administrative Assistant for the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. She studied to be a Social Studies Teacher, and in the Fall of 2021 earned her B.A. in History with a Secondary Social Studies Licensure from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She hopes to further her educational journey by attaining her master’s...