School Division Candidate (4-Year Term)

Cherry Creek School District 5

Craig Wittgrove is a School Counselor/Post Grad Coordinator at Cherry Creek High School in Cherry Creek School District 5.

Education/Special Courses/Certifications

B.S., Education, University of Missouri-Columbia

M.A., Counseling Psychology, University of San Diego

Employment History

School Counselor and Post Grad Coordinator, Cherry Creek High School, 2007 – Present

School Counselor, Ponderosa High School, 2006-2007

Varsity Assistant Girls' Tennis Coach, Cherry Creek High School, 2008 – Present

Co-Director, AP Summer Institute, Cherry Creek APSI, 2012 – Present

College Admissions Outside Reader, University of California – Davis, 2013-2014

Science Teacher, Liberty Junior High School (MO), 1998 - 2002

Organizational Affiliations/Achievements

Executive Board, Presidential Cycle, RMACAC, 2016 – 2019

Executive Board Member, Treasurer, RMACAC, April 2013 – April 2016

Co-Chair, NACAC College Fair, January 2012 - January 2015

High Five Award Recipient, RMACAC, May 2015

NACAC National Conference Denver Local Advisory Committee, May 2011 – October 2012

Responses

Interest in Serving as a PERA Trustee

As a lifelong educator with the privilege of working in Colorado for the last 18 years, I have seen how education has shifted with fewer people choosing to become educators. PERA and its board have the ability to support and influence the trajectories of our future educators by making recommendations to ensure that our retirement system is providing the maximum benefit for our members in a way that entices new educators to enter and remain in this important field.

Challenges/Opportunities Facing PERA

PERA has an opportunity to help support and change the education landscape by rethinking the retirement tables. It is challenging for educators to stay in this field when they know their retirement may take 40 years to earn. The challenge is to ensure that PERA is fiscally responsible for its members and assembled as a tool that encourages people to join the education field. The Board must thoughtfully and creatively recommend how to invest the fund so that it benefits members who plan to retire soon, and provides a growth mechanism so that it benefits members yet to join the field.

Role of a Trustee

A trustee of the PERA Board is a person who considers and values the best interests of the members they represent while upholding the mission of PERA and overseeing its assets. A trustee takes this responsibility seriously, knowing that it has the ability to impact many members, their lives, and their futures.