NSCA Board of Directors

Board Chairperson:  Ben Partridge

Dr. Ben Partridge is a dedicated husband and father, as well as the owner and operator of The Partridge Family Practice in Colorado Springs, CO. Having grown up in Colorado Springs and spending his K-12 years in District 20 (Pine Creeks HS Class of ’03), the D20 and Springs community, are near and dear to him.

Dr. Partridge earned his Doctor of Chiropractic in 2011 from the University of Western States in Portland, OR, and has been in practice in Colorado Springs ever since. In 2014, he completed his Fellowship in Medical Acupuncture through the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Dr. Partridge has done extensive postgraduate work in prenatal and pediatric care, primary spine care, and motor vehicle collisions and is passionate about primary family spine care. He has worked with and continually collaborates with medical professionals for the best care of his patients.

Ben taught undergraduate and graduate level Human Anatomy and Intro to Human Biology at The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs from 2012-2018, as well as Anatomy & Physiology and General Biology at Pikes Peak Community College.

Through running a private practice and working in education, Dr. Partridge has well-rounded knowledge and experience that he is excited to bring to the New Summit Community. He understands that these students are the future leaders of our country and sees the urgent need to invest our efforts in preparing them with a solid foundation and knowledge to carry us into a greater future.

Contact:  ben.partridge@newsummitcharter.org

Board Vice Chairperson: Jarvis Caldwell

Timothy “Jarvis” Caldwell was born and raised on Florida’s space coast and spent his summer and winter breaks with his family in the Appalachian Mountains of southeast Kentucky.  After graduating high school, Jarvis joined the U.S. Air Force where he’d spend 10 years on Active Duty before honorably separating in 2019.

Jarvis’s first six years of military service were spent as an F-15E and U-2 Reconnaissance aircraft avionics technician.  His time working on military jets included assignments to England, South Korea, a deployment to Afghanistan, and forward deploying to Italy for Operation Odyssey Dawn in the 2011 conflict with Libya.  Jarvis’s last tour as an aircraft maintainer was in Florida’s panhandle where he developed, tested, and evaluated electronic warfare and countermeasure systems for the warfighter.

In 2013, Jarvis changed Air Force careers and began his time in the JAG Corps as a paralegal.  His first few years were spent working on prosecutorial teams that included many high-profile, nationally recognized criminal cases.  Jarvis’s last year and a half on Active Duty consisted of working for the Area Defense Counsel in Washington, D.C., where he and one attorney provided legal defense representation to airmen stationed in Virginia, D.C., Maryland, and the Pentagon.

After separating, Jarvis and his family moved to Colorado Springs where his wife currently serves as the Staff Superintendent for the United States Air Force Academy.  Their two children both attend elementary school in Academy District 20.  Shortly after moving to the Springs, Jarvis obtained his Colorado real estate associate broker license and has been representing clients in residential real estate transactions ever since.

Jarvis is excited to be a part of New Summit Charter Academy and will always look out for the best interests of the students, parents, teachers, staff, and other stakeholders.  There is no greater duty for Jarvis than ensuring the best opportunities are available for our children’s future.  Providing a safe educational community that empowers students to reach their greatest potential is his highest priority.

Contact: jarvis.caldwell@newsummitcharter.org

Board Secretary:  Jessica Garcia

Jessica Garcia is a California native who moved to Colorado Springs eight years ago. She has been happily married to her husband, Jorge, for 11 years and together they have six kids.

Jessica’s family joined the New Summit family five years ago when the school first opened and she has been actively involved both as a parent and as a volunteer ever since. Currently, she helps run New Summit’s Landsharks program, an after-school running club for students.

Jessica has 3 children enrolled at New Summit and is eager to lend her talents, business sense, and support as a board member. She believes every child can make a difference in the world, and it is the responsibility of the parents and the school to guide them and help them become the best they can be.

Contact:  jessica.garcia@newsummitcharter.org

Board Treasurer: Tina Leone

Tina Leone has been a professional educator for over thirty years and during that time has served in a variety of education organizations in multiple capacities. She has been a parent, grandparent, teacher, and school leader in private and charter schools as well as traditional public schools. As a teacher and school leader, she has helped open and/or develop five Core Knowledge, Classical charter schools in the Pikes Peak region. Tina was also a founding board member for the Colorado Charter School Institute, a state charter school authorizing agency and served a three-year term with that organization.  Additionally, she served as Board member and subsequently Board President of the Professional Association of Colorado Educators (PACE). Currently, two of Tina’s grandchildren attend New Summit Charter Academy.

Contact: tina.leone@newsummitcharter.org 

Board Director: Michelle Ruehl

Michelle Ruehl, is a flight instructor, English professor, military officer, and theater director. She served 16 years in the Air Force as a mission commander and instructor pilot, flying 807 combat hours in Afghanistan, providing real-time airborne targeting data to air and ground forces during Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force raids.

She also worked as a NATO/ISAF Intelligence and Surveillance aviation liaison in Kabul. She served as an English Instructor, Theater director and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Victim Advocate for her alma mater the United States Air Force Academy. Additionally, she earned a “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” (TEFL) certification so she could teach children in Ghana, Tanzania and Nepal.

She has presented papers on community violence prevention and is the creator/director of Social Impact Theater Project, an interactive bystander intervention program, which she facilitated for 2,750 military members.

Michelle is also a certified PATH therapeutic riding instructor and equine specialist in mental health. She earned two M.A. degrees, one in Psychology and one in English (University of Colorado, Denver).

To honor fallen military colleagues, she founded Parwana LEADership Legacy, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to provide leadership camps to veterans and their families to enhance empathy, communication, and teamwork so youth can then use these concepts to lead others.

She serves on the Colorado Springs Airport Advisory Commission and lives in District 11 with her husband, an airline pilot, and her two small children.

Contact:  michelle.ruehl@newsummitcharter.org