Our Board
Prospect Academy of Colorado is building a strong governing board with the capacity to effectively lead the school, including appropriate financial, academic, and organizational oversight. The school will be adding Board members thoughtfully and strategically in the future to ensure the Board has diverse membership and the skills needed to effectively govern Prospect Academy.
If you are interested in serving on the Prospect Academy Board in the future and would like to be considered at the time of recruitment, please send an email to Tim Farmer, Board Vice President, at Tim.Farmer@prospectacademyco.org.
Learn more about the role of a board member by reading the position description.
Safia Welty-Rupe
Board President
Safia Welty-Rupe has spent most of her professional life working in television and film production. She worked as a show runner for shows such as “Tiny Paradise” (HGTV), “Alaska’s Ultimate Bush Pilots” (Outdoor Channel), “Alaska’s Wild Gourmet (Outdoor Channel), “Simply Delicioso” (Food Network), and “Emergency Vets” (Animal Planet). She has also worked as a producer, field director, and writer on shows such as “Living Alaska” (GAC), “Tiny House Big Living (HGTV), “House Hunters” (HGTV), “Giada’s Weekend Getaways” (Food Network), “Emergency Vets,” “Surprise by Design (Discovery Channel), “Unwrapped” (Food Network), “Honeymoon Hotspots” (Travel Channel), “Dream of Italy” (PBS), “Love Yurts” (DIY), “Prospectors” (Weather Channel), and “Dude, You’re Screwed” (Animal Planet).
After leaving the TV/production industry, Safia started a company called My Bakery Basket, which specializes in low-sugar, organic baked goods. Safia has a B.A. from Indiana University in Television/Film Production.
Safia is an active member and leader of the many communities of which she is a part. Safia is the parent of a teenage son with autism, and she is dedicated to creating a quality school environment for students that is part of the public education system, in order to give exceptional opportunities to all students who have special learning needs.
Tim Farmer
Board Vice President
Tim Farmer graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in English in 2007, and then became a 7th grade reading teacher through the Teach for America program in Jacksonville, Florida. Starting in 2010, he worked for several non-profit teacher organizations, meeting and working with hundreds of teachers across the state of Florida and then Colorado. In December of 2014, he graduated from the University of Denver Sturm College Of Law and is currently a partner at Miller Farmer Law firm, which focuses primarily on serving charter school clients.
Tim, his wife Victoria, and three children live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their son Madox was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2018 and Tim joined the board of directors of Prospect Academy in 2019 with a desire to develop a strong educational option for students, like Madox, with unique talents and special needs.
Kirsty Judd
Board Treasurer
Kristy Judd serves as President/CEO of Spark the Change, formerly Metro Volunteers, an organization committed to inspiring, engaging, mobilizing and empowering individuals, communities and organizations to become a driving force for good through the power of volunteerism, service, and engagement. Kristy joined Spark the Change in January 2008 after eleven years at The Colorado Mountain Club.
Kristy is known for her intuitive ability to pull together diverse constituencies in finding common ground and developing relevant, targeted programming to address pressing community concerns. She has led numerous community initiatives including managing multi-million dollar federal grants to assist in the disaster recovery from Colorado’s 2012 fires and 2013 floods. Kristy has served as an officer for numerous boards including the Directors of Volunteers in Agencies, Scientific and Cultural Collaborative, Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, Colorado Volunteer Center Network, Faith Lutheran Church and the Denver Office of Strategic Partners Commission. She is currently serving on the Governor’s Commission on Service – Serve Colorado — as well as the board of Prospect Academy.
She has a nephew and a niece on the Autism Spectrum so understands the academic struggle and is eager to use her skills to create a safe, inclusive and supportive school. She is from North Dakota, graduating from North Dakota State University, home of the Thundering Herd!
Keena Day, M.A.
Board Member
Keena Day, M.A. is an educator, writer and poet. She is currently the Director of Humanities and Creative Core for DSST Public Schools. She has been an educator for eighteen years; Keena has taught grades 6-12, AP Language and AP Literature and at the collegiate level as an adjunct freshman composition and technical writing instructor. Keena has led school leadership, teachers, and school organizations in many areas of literacy including curriculum, assessment, instructional design, leadership coaching, data analysis, systematic programming implementation, and literacy best practices.
Keena is also a freelance writer and journalist. She has written for several media outlets such as the Tennessee Tribune, Boardhawk, and My Black Colorado Magazine. She is a best selling contributing author of several books including The HBCU Experience: Band Alumni Edition (2021) and the collegiate Africana studies textbook Africana Paradigms, Practices, and Literary Texts. Keena contributes to local media on podcasts, radio shows, newspapers, educational blogs, and magazines. She presents at conferences focused on Black women's empowerment, education, and literacy instruction.
Keena serves the community as an "educational activist" serving on the boards of many CO organizations and nonprofits, including serving as a commissioner for the Commerce City City Council DEI Commission and other political, educational, creative, and social organizations. A native of Detroit, MI, Keena is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Dayton studying Organizational Leadership and Administration after receiving her B.A. and M.A. in English Education from Tennessee State University.
Jennifer Manera
Board Member
Jen Manera is a parent of a future student of Prospect Academy and lives in Golden, Colorado, with her husband, son and two dogs. She also has a daughter who is seeking her Psychology degree at the University of Colorado. Jen is a strong advocate for her son who was diagnosed with High functioning Autism and ADHD at the age of six. Professionally, Jen owns a PASA (Program Approved Service Agency) and has 14 years of experience in working with adults who have disabilities. Jen is a proponent for equality within schools and the community and an effective example in living a happy and healthy lifestyle.
Samadhi Asnes
Board Member
Samadhi Asnes is a Series 50 registered municipal advisor representative and associate with Choice Advisors, serving charter schools nationwide and assisting with capital financing solutions. She specializes in credit and financial analysis and financing deal execution. Samadhi has worked on over $270 million of closed tax-exempt and taxable bond and bank loan financings.
Previously, Samadhi worked at a Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm providing investment analysis and securities trading.
Samadhi attended the University of Colorado Boulder where she graduated with a double major in Mathematics and Economics in three years.