Operations Team

Jessica Harral, Curriculum Director

Jessica moved from Alaska to Fort Collins in 1998 to attend college and never left. She has a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and has coding experience with programs such as C++, Matlab and Python.  Jessica has also volunteered with Girl Scouts of Colorado for the last 20 years because she enjoys doing hands-on activities with children and their excitement when trying or learning something new. 

In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, cooking, crafting or playing with her five children. Jessica will be leading schools in Fort Collins, Loveland and the Windsor areas! She is also leading development of the Crest proprietrary curriculum

Rachel Gaby, Operations Manager

Rachel grew up and lives in middle Tennessee with her husband and daughter. She has always had a love for children and volunteered in many different children’s programs from a young age. She graduated from Bryan College in Dayton, TN with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Human Services. Since graduating, Rachel spent one summer running the children’s camp for her local YMCA and 3 years working as the Local Director for Child Evangelism Fellowship of the Upper Cumberland, where she ran after school Bible clubs in her 14-county region. She has now stepped back from her role as Local Director to focus on caring for her daughter and works remotely as Crest’s Operations Manager. Rachel enjoys spending her time reading, baking, and exploring the world with her daughter.

Denver Faculty

Sabrina Xu, Faculty Member

Sabrina is a passionate teacher with a love for creativity through any media: robotics, art, technology, music, and everything in between! She inspires students to explore the intersection of art and innovation. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Practices and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education, Sabrina encourages students to leverage technology as a tool for self-discovery and communication. In her freetime, Sabrina explores the prairie. She often observes wildlife and plantlife, with a particular interest in reptiles. She draws inspiration from the principles of biomimicry, observing how nature’s designs and processes can inform technological innovation.

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Jeremy Bickel, Regional Coach South Denver

Jeremy grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and moved to Colorado a few years ago. He has served in the international non-profit sector for the last seven years working in community development and has a passion for helping young people add skills to their lives that will benefit them in the future. He has a bachelor’s degree in history, and his experiences include teaching, management, training, and international operations. He is passionate about helping children use their creativity in technology and will be coaching Faculty in the Highlands Ranch and Littleton areas.

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Alison Gorman, Faculty Member

Alison holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and spent 12 years as a Controls Engineer in the manufacturing industry. Recently, she studied Software Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and has been developing iOS apps. A lifelong tech enthusiast, Alison is passionate about sharing the creativity and confidence that STEM inspires. Through her work as a youth coach in soccer and mountain biking, she focuses on helping kids build skills, confidence, and a strong sense of community. Alison is excited to bring her passion for technology and education to empower the next generation of innovators.

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Eileen Waninger, Faculty Member

Eileen grew up in central Indiana and moved to Colorado last year. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. She is also doing research that includes programming simulations of molecules.

In her free time, Eileen likes reading, traveling, or picking up a new hobby. She also enjoys hanging out with friends around Golden.

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Richard Miles, Faculty Member

Richard has been programming professionally for over six years after studying Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of North Texas, where he also competed on the school’s triathlon team. Outside of work, he loves snowboarding, hiking, and spending time at the dog park with his black lab, Max!

Richard loves teaching and contributing and will be leading schools in and around Highlands Ranch!

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Elaine Miller, Faculty Member

Elaine is passionate about education and lifelong learning and enjoys working with children and watching them explore, grow, and flourish. Elaine began her professional career in physical therapy, sports medicine, personal and athletic training. She has held positions as a preschool teacher, an after-school care provider and various positions working with youth athletics. She has her B.S in Kinesiology from the University of Colorado and her M.S. in Sports Medicine from Chapman College. Elaine has been in medical education since 2008 starting with continuing medical education and now graduate medical education, where she is the program administrator for the General Surgery Residency and Vascular Neurology Fellowship at Swedish Medical Center. Elaine enjoys spending her free time with her pride and joy, her now grown children (and the family dog), as well as doing puzzles, traveling, attending sporting events, and concerts.

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Alexis Press, Faculty Member

Alexis (Lexie) has lived in Colorado her entire life. She completed her undergraduate degree at Colorado State University in Human Development and Family Studies where she discovered her passion for helping others grow and succeed. Lexie worked as a Case Manager for individuals with disabilities for a few years, providing support and assistance with securing home and community based services. She then completed her Master's degree in Healthcare Management at the University of Denver in 2022 and currently works at Swedish Medical Center as the Program Administrator for the Anesthesiology Residency Program. In her free time, Lexie enjoys spending time outside with her dog - going on hikes, to dog parks, and to the lake. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling. Lexie will be leading classes in the Littleton area!

Jennifer Campos, Faculty Member

Jennifer grew up in Colorado and holds a B.S. in Chemistry as well as a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering. She has hands-on experience coding in Python and MATLAB, and enjoys applying technical skills to solve real-world problems. Jennifer is passionate about promoting STEM education and has volunteered at GESTEM, where she led hands-on science and technology activities for middle school girls and served as a group guide to inspire enthusiasm and confidence in STEM. She currently works full-time as a chemist. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys reading, spending time with her two sheepadoodles, and attending comedy shows with her partner.

Kody Struna, Faculty Member

Kody is a U.S. Air Force veteran with hands-on experience in meteorology, robotics, and IT automation. He’s currently studying engineering and software development, and brings a strong foundation in Python, systems troubleshooting, and educational technology. He’s passionate about helping kids unlock their creativity and confidence through STEM and robotics.

In his free time, Kody enjoys skiing, international travel, golf, working on tech projects, learning new programming languages, and exploring the outdoors. He will be leading classes in the Denver and Golden areas!

Ellie Miller, Faculty Member

Ellie is passionate about making STEM education fun and approachable for young learners. With a Master’s in Social Science and a background in both teaching and tech, she’s excited to help K–5 students explore the worlds of coding and robotics at Crest Computing. Ellie will be leading classes in the Golden area!

Enas Elhaj, Faculty Member

Enas holds a PhD in Electrical & Electronics Engineering and has taught at several universities and colleges, sharing her passion for technology and innovation. She recently moved to the USA and is preparing to pursue an MSc in Data Science and AI to further expand her expertise. Enas loves traveling, reading, swimming, and spending time with family and friends. She is excited to bring her academic background and international experience to inspire and guide students at Crest Robotics and Computing Academy! She will be leading classes in the Littleton area.

Fort Collins Faculty

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Santiago Marquez, Faculty Support Member

Santiago moved to Colorado in 2004 from Valencia, Venezuela, and has lived there up until College. In the last three years he has lived in California pursuing a college baseball career and get an Associates Degree in Mathematics. He has since moved back to Colorado to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. In California he discovered a passion for teaching, when he worked as a coach for youth baseball, managing teams of kids aged 9-14 and providing personal training for pitching. He has a history with robotics and car repair starting in high school when he was both a part of his High Schools First Robotics team that won state two years in a row, all while fixing up a broken car for his first car.

In his free time, he likes playing video games, working on cars, and spending time with his cat named Adenine. He is a part of the CSU FSAE Racing team, as a member of the Aerodynamics Sub-team. He also enjoys playing and watching baseball, snowboarding, and driving up mountains roads exploring the beautiful Colorado landscape! He will be leading classes in Fort Collins.

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Hanna Narans, Faculty Member

Hanna is originally from Evergreen, Colorado. She attended Colorado State University where she fell in love with Fort Collins and earned her Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Spanish. Early on, she worked as a rock climbing instructor and more recently she taught classes on practical applications of 3D modeling software. She focuses on creating an inclusive learning environment with enthusiasm for the topics she teaches. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and experimenting with new recipes.

Hanna will be leading classes in the Fort Collins!

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Peter Kessinger, Faculty Member

Peter has been a Colorado resident his entire life. He currently attends Colorado State University and is working on his Ph.D. He has a master’s in Environmental Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and has experience with computer and coding work. In his free time, Peter likes to hike, paddleboard, camp, and ski. He takes his dog on runs around Fort Collins and enjoys hanging out with his friends in Old Town Fort Collins.

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Jessica Harral, Faculty Member

Jessica moved from Alaska to Fort Collins in 1998 to attend college and never left. She has a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and has coding experience with programs such as C++, Matlab and Python. Jessica has also volunteered with Girl Scouts of Colorado for the last 20 years because she enjoys doing hands-on activities with children and their excitement when trying or learning something new. In her free time, Jessica enjoys reading, cooking, crafting or playing with her five children. Jessica will be leading schools in Fort Collins, Loveland and the Windsor areas! She is also leading development of the Crest proprietrary curriculum

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Mitchell Perque, Faculty Member

Mitchell Perque is a CSU Graduate with a Bachelors in Sociology. They are a big fan of learning and strive to spend their time sharing with others the joys of education every chance they get. They began working with children through volunteer organizations in Texas such as UMARMY and JUMMP which specialized in religious based community projects. Once they moved to Colorado to continue their education, they shifted their focus to working with elementary schools and summer camps like AAK and Mighty Adventure Camp. The experience gave them both new ways to approach care and communication paving the way to Crest.
When Mitchell is not working with others, they're reading science fiction novels, working on new art pieces, or singing with friends. They hope to utilize their time with Crest to inspire the same spark for schooling that others instilled in them so long ago. They will be leading robotics in the Ft. Collins area.

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