Ed Porritt
Executive Director, Principal and Founder
E-mail ed.porritt@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512 x 101

Ed has been an educator in Boulder County for 20 years, in communities from Broomfield to the Continental Divide, and has taught or administered drop-out prevention programs in both middle school and high school levels. Most recently, Ed was the Dean of Students at Nederland Middle Senior High School , where he continued to coordinate the Chinook West high school program at Teens Inc., Youth and Family Center . Prior to working at altitude, Ed was the administrator and first teacher of Chinook Alternatives, on which much of Catalyst High School is based. Ed has been the Program Chairman and a Board Member for Attention Homes Youth Shelter and has served on the Board of Directors of Compass House. Ed has an M.A. in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a State of Colorado Principal License.

Rachel Daly
Academic Coordinator
E-mail rachel.daly@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512 x 100

As Academic Coordinator, Rachel’s challenge is to meet with students to create a new personalized schedule for each, that suits individual needs, every five weeks. She also plays the role of traditional school counselors as she uses her extraordinary memory and organizational skills to track student progress toward graduation. Rachel was one of the first Chinook students and understands the Catalyst Educational Model both inside and out. Her own high school experience gives her insight to the needs of an at-risk teenager. This experience, as well as her always sweet disposition, allows her to relate well to students. Rachel can attest to the success of this model of education and feels that without Chinook she would never have graduated from high school. Rachel went on to earn a B.A. in English at the University of Northern Colorado and has a passion for writing. Rachel and her husband now have a brand new baby girl at home, whom she adores.

Mary Hickling
Registrar, Fitness Coordinator, Office Manager
E-mail mary.hickling@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512

Mary brings to Catalyst years of valuable experience working with personal fitness, office management and, most importantly, teens. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Conservation from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Mary is drawn naturally to issues that face teens today, and addresses them by integrating humor and role modeling and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Mary maintains transcripts, report cards, and other school records, as well as working to keep things running in the Catalyst office – both figuratively and physically! Her hobbies include gardening, home staging and reading good books. Mary is married and has two teenage daughters (one a Catalyst graduate), and two very fluffy cats!

Leslie Levinson
Financial Manager
E-mail leslie.levinson@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512 x 103

Leslie rules the back offices, assuring the smooth flow of funds into and out of Catalyst. Her special areas of interest include resource development and business operations of non-profit programs that address critical issues in the community. Prior to assuming her responsibilities with first fund raising and then financial management here, Leslie was the Operations Director for Emergency Family Assistance Association. She has over 25 years of experience working in human services non-profit management, program management, and community and resource development. Leslie has a M.P.A in Public Administration from Drake University and a B. S. in Social Work from the University of Iowa.

Brenda Von Star, FNPC
School Nurse
E-mail brenda.vonstar@catalysths.org
Phone (303) 604-6512 x 250

Brenda is a Family Nurse Practitioner who started her career as a Navy Hospital Corpsman during the Vietnam War. After discharge from the Navy, Brenda attended and graduated from nursing school in Oregon. She moved to beautiful Colorado in 1973 and worked at several Denver metro area hospitals over the next six years. She desired to further her education and thus earned her Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from CU Denver Health Sciences Center in 1979. She is trained to see all age groups and is authorized to prescribe medications, see acute problems (i.e. colds, fevers, sprains/strains, simple lacerations), do preventive exams (physicals) and manage chronic problems. Brenda has acquired a breadth of knowledge and wide experience working with all ages in the delivery of health care. She has a warm and caring spirit and goes above and beyond in all she does.