Our Team

Aside from her experience leading the CSA’s board of directors, Christa has worked in corporate finance for almost 20 years in various areas at IBM. Ms. Coryell supported the Global Technology Services division as a senior finance manager. Christa has extensive experience working with school-aged children through many volunteer opportunities with IBM and direct involvement in her son’s activities.

Ms. Coryell was a Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) mentor to high school students in the St. Vrain Valley School District and was also a co-chairperson for the Discover Engineering and Innovation Academy partnerships between IBM and local schools in the Boulder area.

Christa earned a Master of Business Administration with a finance emphasis from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Arizona State University.

After majoring in pre-law in her undergraduate studies, Mary Gispan earned a bachelor of arts degree in history and political science. She also holds a master’s degree in education with an emphasis on secondary education from the University of Phoenix. She conducted her practicum at The Denver School of the Arts. Mary also previously received training in project-based learning through NewTech Network, and participated in international development demos of a project at a Chicago International Conference.

I am the Director of Aerospace, Outreach, and Data. This is a new position this year at Colorado Skies Academy and uses my strengths and experience to better our school. I was involved in Civil Air Patrol as a youth, and into adulthood, and would love to start a School Squadron at CSA. I have been a leader with Boy Scouts of America and even trained other leaders using a program that was co-written by Steven Covey of the 7 Habits. Leadership and Aerospace have been integral parts of my life for almost three decades, as well as project-based learning. As a homeschooler, and a homeschool parent, I both learned from and taught my children using project-based learning. I have co-written and published project-based learning curriculum, reading and writing curriculum, and teaching manuals. For my Master’s Degree, I wrote the Skills for Academic Success class and student planner for learners at Colorado Skies to build their executive functioning skills. I have a vision for success for CSA, and I am so excited to see it come to fruition. Thank you for trusting me to guide your learner.

What is it about Colorado SKIES Academy that attracted me to pursue working here?

Volunteer service, leadership, and project-based learning have been a large part of my life. Civil Air Patrol taught me first how to follow, and then how to lead. My leadership and instructor training continued with Lord Baden Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, who teaches youth to take charge of their lives and be leaders, while also learning the skills they need for life to be successful, contributing, and involved citizens of their community, nation, and world. Project-based learning is in my DNA, I feel it is the best way for children to learn. I love inspiring and facilitating learning for children in a way that they enjoy and find meaningful.

What would learners be surprised to know about me?

I have summited 13 of Colorado’s 14ers and plan to summit them all. I am married to a South Metro firefighter, I have a young adult son, and one of our staff members is my daughter! I love to hike and backpack, and someday I plan on retiring to Ireland. I love animals, have two rescue bulldogs and a calico kitty.