Assistant Director of SAGE Center, Sara Switzer
Sara joins SAGE Center for Gifted with over 20 years of experience working with children from different backgrounds with diverse educational needs, including giftedness and other learning differences, in a variety of settings. She worked as a classroom teacher at an early childhood and elementary level in both private and public schools before joining SAGE as an Educational Therapist in 2018.
In her extensive time at SAGE, Sara has gained a tremendous amount of experience working with gifted and twice exceptional children and adolescents from preschool age through high school, and now serves as a senior-level Educational Therapist. She also has exceptional expertise in supporting parents of gifted children with parent education and guidance. Sara collaboratively guides classroom teachers with accommodation and differentiation strategies to support the growth of children at SAGE. As an exemplary, seasoned professional, honoring and executing the mission of SAGE for a number of years, Sara was advanced to the role of Assistant Director. This role has provided the opportunity for her to interact with and support the parents and families at SAGE at an administrative and leadership level.
She graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 2002 and then earned her Master of Education in Reading from Regis University in the spring of 2019. The coursework from her educational background and work experience has provided her with exceptional knowledge pertaining to best practices for gifted learners that coincides with the holistic philosophy of SAGE, specifically focusing on those with exceptionalities such as dyslexia, hyperlexia, ASD, and ADHD. Her personal educational philosophy centers on meeting the unique academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of individual learners through a flexible, multi-sensory approach that emphasizes the individual's strengths and interests. Holistic learning at SAGE Center emphasizes the cognitive, affective, and regulatory domains in a child-centered approach that coincides with Sara's educational training, teaching style, and philosophy.
Sara’s interests include reading, photography, arts and crafts, crocheting, learning new hobbies, going to musicals and concerts, and watching sports. Reading, and more recently listening to audiobooks, has been a lifelong love for Sara that she finds extremely therapeutic. Helping children and adults, especially struggling or reluctant readers, discover a love of books is very important to her. Though most of Sara’s time outside of work is spent at her son’s baseball and soccer games, she also enjoys spending time with her dog and being at the lake with family and friends!
Sara offers, “I am thrilled at the opportunity to work with children in an environment that not only supports my philosophy but also recognizes the importance of holistic learning in an adaptive and accommodating environment.” SAGE is honored to have this gifted professional, mind and heart as part of our faculty.
Administrative Assistant,
Kirsten McCue
SAGE has been in an overflow growth and expansion mode for a few years, and even more so in these very challenging times of COVID as families manage much distress at home and school. To support our current exceptional admin. team of Executive Assistant, Kyoko Wilson and Assistant Director, Sara Switzer, we are pleased to add Kirsten McCue as Administrative Assistant. Kirsten’s passion for the mission of SAGE, her empathy and understanding of gifted children as a mother of three, and her organizational abilities are exemplary.
Kirsten is a Colorado native and a graduate of Colorado State University. She met Ms. Rose as she sought out her own answers and help for her three gifted children (now in their 20’s) and remained in touch ever since; hoping to give back in some capacity to families that find themselves in similar situations as she did so many years ago. It can be daunting and overwhelming and both she and SAGE hope to be an empathetic ear and support system in this journey as a parent of these special children that continues as they become adults. The support in this area does not end.
Kirsten enjoys time volunteering for the local library, time with her three dogs, Pilates, walking and hiking, reading and any time spent with her busy grown kids spread out along the East Coast is a bonus! She is so excited to join the SAGE family and give back all she received.
IT & Website Manager,
Beatriz M. Rose
We are pleased to welcome Beatriz Rose as our IT & Website Manager for SAGE Center for Gifted! Beatriz’s keen expertise and diverse experience in the complex field of technology will be a tremendous asset to a rapidly growing company serving clients nationally and internationally, as we expand our reach with our website platform, graphics development, social media, and search engine optimization to serve an ever-growing referral base of families in need.
Growing up in Brazil, Beatriz was lover of problem solving and puzzles, and was drawn to computer programming when she was 11 years old. Although she loves to code, Beatriz has been passionate for languages and arts since she was a young child. In her teens, she was the “go to” at her condo in Sao Paulo when neighbors experienced trouble getting on their devices, new PC, laptop or setting up a router. Friends who were taking tutorial classes for foreign languages such as English, Spanish or Italian, would ask Beatriz’s parents to let her come over and help them. “I was always happy to help the kids or adults around me. Every time I taught someone, I was learning more.”
Beatriz holds degrees from Sao Paulo, Brazil in the areas of: Arts and Systems Analysis and Development. After moving to Colorado in 2011, she taught young children in Montessori programs and taught foreign language at schools for gifted children. Beatriz is a Solutions Engineer Analyst at a Telecom company.
Beatriz enjoys the Colorado life style with her husband and two dogs. When she is not learning new technologies and languages, she loves to enjoy dance and yoga, To balance her busy life, she enjoys running outdoors in the spectacular nature of Colorado. Beatriz is also a gifted artist, creating extraordinary work in the mediums of painting, drawing, sewing, and jewelry design. Her intelligences in languages of all types, foreign languages and coding, as well as her creative, visual-spatial intelligence, along with her delightfully wondrous sense of curiosity and problem-solving are an extraordinary combination for this role. Her inter-personal intelligence, her capacity to connect with others with deep compassion, empathy, and sensitivity, also an exceptional gift. She truly embodies as an adult, the mind and heart combination we aspire to nurture within our children at SAGE.
Beatriz’s favorite quote is: “Learning provides creativity. Creativity leads to thinking. Thinking provides knowledge. Knowledge makes you great.” A.P. J. Abdul Kalam “I am super excited to be at SAGE Center. I feel honored to work with such caring people, where I can passionately utilize my technology expertise and creativity to support the growth of SAGE in serving its mission to care for gifted children locally, nationally, and internationally.”
Director of Business Development,
Tom Rose
Tom Rose has 30 years of business development, marketing, and executive-level leadership experience working in organizations serving children with special needs and their families. As our Director of Business Development, Tom will now be bringing his years of experience and expertise to assist SAGE in the key areas of marketing and referral development as our company continues its rapid growth at a local, state, and national level. Tom is uniquely an excellent fit for this role as over his extensive career, he has been a passionate and tireless advocate and ambassador for children and families who do not fit in traditional paradigms. Our gifted and twice-exceptional children often fall into this category and very much need this level of advocacy of care to reach their potential.
Tom’s background includes: Co-owner of a private company providing prevention, early intervention, and day treatment programs in three western states for young children with special needs; Corporate Vice-President of Business Development, Marketing, and Public Relations for an organization providing mental health and special education services for children and youth at 16 facilities in nine western states; Executive Director, Summit Prevention Alliance, a Summit County Colorado nonprofit that provided community education and school-based prevention programs and was awarded “Nonprofit of the Year” in 2007; and CEO of a nonprofit organization providing home and community-based services for youth in the child welfare system in 20 Colorado counties. For seven years, Tom served as Executive Director of Family Voices Colorado a nonprofit that operated the Colorado Family to Family Health Information Center, and supervised staff providing system navigation and advocacy services for families who have a child with special needs.
On a national level, Tom is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Family Partnership Network, Executive Committee and is a Colorado State Leadership Team Member of the Mountain States Regional Genetics Network. Additionally, Tom is a Member and Past-chair of the Colorado Medicaid Provider Rate Review Advisory Committee. In the past, Tom served for four years as Treasurer and Policy Committee Member of Family Voices National, served for five years as a member of the Georgetown University – Community of Practice for Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Disabilities, and for two years was a Member of the Regional Transportation District Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities. Tom is also a Certified Trainer for “Serving on Groups that Make Decisions – A Guide for Families and Self Advocates”, and for “Leading by Convening – A Blueprint for Providers for Authentic Family Engagement”.
Tom enjoys the Colorado lifestyle with his wife Beatriz. His ex-wife, our Executive Director, Ms. Renu Rose and Tom are the proud parents of two gifted children, who are now young adults. Their daughter Lucia is in law school and their son, Sage, is an undergraduate, with a pre-law focus. Tom’s hobbies include; a love of history, learning about different cultures, mountain biking, swimming, and gourmet cooking. We are honored to welcome Tom to our SAGE team as he guides our ever-growing company in the critical strategic areas of business development, marketing, and referral development to set our course and foundation to thrive in the many years ahead, and passionately serve our mission for gifted children and families.
Executive Assistant,
Kyoko Wilson
Born in Japan and growing up in Forest Hills (Queens), NYC, Kyoko has always found a way to connect with the natural world. While NYC does not seem rich in nature, she found that in undisturbed spaces, overgrown and abandoned areas, and in the cracks of sidewalks, there are plants and animals all around us. This deep love of the flora and fauna surrounding her has been a life-long connection which she still cultivates.
Kyoko has enjoyed working with and volunteering her time around animals in varied capacities, with various audiences and clientele. Some of this work involved creating, writing, and developing various interpretive programs for audiences of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and needs. She pivoted from a creative role to an administrative role almost 10 years ago, and has not looked back. But, still uses many 'tools” gathered from past experiences to provide excellent support for those around her. Within the tool-belt she will be bringing to SAGE is a predilection for financial tasks, and organization - both in physical spaces and electronic formats. Kyoko brings warmth, an easy-going style, and demeanor of calm – all while getting all of your needs taken care of.
Earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from the University of California – Berkeley, and participating in the Master of Arts program at Northeastern Illinois University with a concentration in Geography and Environmental Studies, it certainly seemed that geography would be her life path. It turns out that her geography background only opened the doors to a different world.
Kyoko is honored to join a team which has such incredible breadth of experience and dedication at the SAGE Center for Gifted, which takes a holistic approach to seeing the uniqueness inside every person. She feels privileged to work with and for Founder and Executive Director Renu Rose, who has such a deep understanding of the light and gift which is inside every one of us. Kyoko is buoyed to be part of a team which will provide a springboard for your child to thrive, and provide a setting where parents and guardians can find a place of solace, knowing that the frustrations of looking for resolution have been found at the SAGE Center for Gifted.
Working in a place that provides compassionate support, within a circle of fully understanding your child and their needs, to provide an environment for them to flourish, is what brings Kyoko to the SAGE Center. She hopes that every person who crosses the threshold has a defining moment, where years from now, that grown child will reflect that their life changing moment happened here. Sometimes the gifts within are hidden to others, and working with the devoted staff of the SAGE Center for Gifted who recognize this is, in fact, a gift to Kyoko.
With a wide spectrum of life experiences and having lived in cities and rural towns, from New York City to the San Francisco Bay Area, and places in between, Kyoko has called Colorado home for the last 20 years.
She enjoys goofing off with her tween daughter, cooking intuitively, yeast baking, cultivating a houseplant obsession, gardening, supporting wildlife conservation, and spending time with the family dog and cats.
We are honored to welcome this exceptional professional as a critical right hand, loyal assistant to our Executive Director as SAGE continues its tremendous growth, and as an administrative support team member to our entire faculty and parent community. Our warmest welcome to Kyoko!
