Aaron Salt is an Alabama native that moved to Colorado in 2012. He obtained a BA in Psychology from Auburn University and a Masters of Social Work from Florida State University. After leaving social work for software development project management, Aaron decided it was time to spend more time with family, and started a small-business consulting firm. He currently lives in Academy District 20 with his wife and 3 little boys. Aaron joined the founding board in Spring of 2016 and became the board chair in early 2018. He has worked diligently with D20 and other like-minded organizations to start New Summit. The school is an exciting opportunity for our community, and Aaron is glad he can play such an integral role and is looking forward to seeing what the future brings for New Summit Charter Academy.

Contact: aaron.salt@newsummitcharter.org

Anthony Bachmann was born and raised in Minnesota.  He enjoys his trips back to Minnesota for his love of the outdoors, hunting trips, and visiting family.  He has been in Colorado Springs for 7 yrs, is glad to have roots planted in the community, and couldn’t see raising his family anywhere else.  Married to Brooke for 15 yrs, Anthony is a father of 2 kids (10 and 8 yrs old) with another baby on the way.  He is the Vice President of a local roofing company in Colorado Springs and loves to interact with people.  Anthony has joined the Board for the opportunity to have an active role in his children’s academic experience.

Contact: anthony.bachmann@newsummitcharter.org

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.

Eric Davis is a business owner in the Colorado Springs area and focuses on developing children, teenagers, and adults. He has started multiple businesses as well as a non-profit to serve his community. He has been involved in many different types of education including homeschool, private school, and public school and therefore understands the different inner workings of school systems, both good and bad. He has 2 young sons ages 6 and 2 and is passionate about developing people to their fullest potential. Eric’s main focus on the board is building the community, marketing, and helping create a culture of character development and a love for learning.

Contact: eric.davis@newsummitcharter.org 

Doug Downey is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and served over 24 years as a college instructor, Combat Logistician, Commander, and as a Fighter Pilot qualified in the F-16 Viper and F-117 Stealth. He served as an instructor pilot, functional check pilot, and air show demonstration pilot. He is a career Safety Officer qualified in Crew Resource Management, Safety Management Systems, Root Cause Analysis and accident investigations with experience as an Investigator, Analyst, Chief of Safety, and Aircraft Mishap Board President. He also served as an Advance Agent for Air Force One and President G.W. Bush for five years, and later as a Diplomat to Pakistan. In Pakistan, he directly consulted the Government on the redesign of F-16 tactical operations, national airspace use, and safety program management and enterprise risk management for the entire Pakistani Air Force. Doug joined the Convergent Performance team in 2014 and brought with him a breadth of experience in leadership, training, risk mitigation, safety management systems, and process improvement. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In addition to instructing cadets how to fly T-52s (Diamond) and T-53s (Cirrus), he was the Deputy Director of Cadet Training & Education responsible for all curriculum development and strategic planning of assessment and tactical training of over 4,000 cadets. Doug is recognized as an industry expert in Risk Management, Safety Management Systems, Safety Program Management, and Aviation Accident and Mishap Investigations. He is a successful author of industry research studies and periodical columns. He also is certified by the International Society of Safety Professionals (ISSP) as a Registered Safety Professional.

Contact: Doug.downey@newsummitcharter.org