Board of Directors

Courtney was born in Ohio but spent the majority of her childhood in a very small town called Sleepy Hollow, located 30 miles northwest from Chicago in Illinois. She attended the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts- Political Science and Communications. While in university, she spent her time as a Lead Teacher and Office Manager for the Urban League’s Early Childhood Education Center and developed a passion for education and understanding of people with all types of social and financial backgrounds. After graduation, Courtney relocated to Colorado and began her career in the Telecommunications sector with CenturyLink, AT&T and Comcast in various operations, project management and leadership roles. 

Courtney is committed to the education of all children in the CCA community and is thrilled to contribute her time and talents to challenge CCA to continue to strive for excellence. She has held various volunteer roles at CCA as a room parent, PTO board and committee member. Courtney strongly believes in a solid partnership between students, parents, staff, and administration and is dedicated to ensuring the success of the shared vision and goals at CCA.

As a busy mother of 3 children, one graduate of CCA and two currently attending, she and her very supportive husband are often found on a soccer pitch or golf course as all three play at a competitive level in both sports. In her spare time, Courtney serves on the board of Slippers N Sliders Ski Club as president-elect and is an active volunteer for the Colorado Pug Rescue, Girl Scouts of Colorado, and Rapids Youth Soccer Club.

Nitin was born and raised in India. He moved to the USA to pursue his Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating, Nitin moved to Colorado in 2004 for career opportunities, liked the mountainous landscape and active lifestyle the city has to offer and has since lived in the Denver metro area. Nitin has 20 years of public and private sector work experience. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Colorado.

Nitin is married and has two children who currently attend CCA. He plays cricket, tennis, and pickleball. He loves spending time with his family and friends. He likes writing picture books and is a published children’s book author.

Nitin has prior experience serving on the professional organization boards and committees in Colorado. He strongly believes that the teachers/administrative staff are our greatest asset, and the diversity of the parent community is our strength that could be banked upon to achieve greater results. As a public service employee himself, he feels honored and excited to serve the CCA community.

Ian believes that our greatest successes as humans come from respectful and positive collaboration. He is passionate about helping partners harness the power of technology to drive improved alignment with customers, stakeholders, and employees.

Ian has been successful in both industry and consulting enabling him to bring a mix of experiences and expertise to all situations. He believes deeply in the power of ethics and integrity which serve as a cornerstone of his relationships. Ian is the father of two CCA children.

Sam serves as the Executive Director of Digital Learning at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he leads the university’s online learning and artificial intelligence initiatives. He is also a Professor of Communication Studies and has been a proud member of the MSU Denver community for 14 years. Sam earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Digital Media from the University of Denver, an M.A. from the University of North Texas, and a B.A. from the University of Iowa.

A passionate advocate for innovation, access, and student success, Sam brings experience in faculty development, strategic planning, and digital transformation in higher education. He is excited to support CCA’s continued excellence and is honored to serve on the Board.

Sam and his wife Catherine have been CCA parents since 2018. Beginning in Fall 2025, all three of their daughters will be attending CCA. Sam enjoys spending time with his family, going to his daughters’ activities, playing golf, and cheering on Iowa Hawkeyes sports year-round.

Jihee Kwon has been a CCA parent for over 10 years. She is a loving mother of three boys, with her oldest as an alumni of CCA who graduated Cherry Creek High School. Her two boys are in 6th and 7th grade currently at CCA. Jihee left her career in luxury sales and management to be better involved with her children in 2021. In 2022, Jihee was nominated and elected as a board committee member of CCA and has volunteered as a committee member of Finance committee and as the Chair of Technology committee. Heading into 2023-2024 school year, Jihee was elected and became a part of the executive members of CCA board as the Secretary. In 2024, Jihee was appointed as the chair of the Human Resource Committee. In 2024-2025 school year, she was elected as the Vice President. Jihee has much love for diverse CCA community and she is honored and proud to be serving on the Board.

Irina was born in Belarus and moved to Colorado in 1997. She finished her schooling in Colorado and earned a dual Bachelor degree in Finance and International Business at the University of Colorado. Upon her graduation, she relocated to the Middle East where she spent 1 year working under contract for a logistic company.

Upon her contract expiration, she returned to Colorado where she delved back into the corporate financial world while simultaneously pursuing her MBA, specializing in accounting, at the University of Colorado.

In 2008, she decided to leave the corporate world behind and opened a home care company which specializes in helping elderly, blind and disabled individuals. In 2019, she expands her desire to help people by opening a medical company that focuses on more advanced care for people.

Despite her demanding professional life, Irina prioritizes her role as a wife and mother, ensuring her family's well-being and supporting her children's education at Cherry Creek Academy. Her passion for travel and nature serves as a source of inspiration and rejuvenation, enhancing her adventurous spirit and enriching her life experiences along the way.

Tahlia Sayers moved to Colorado from the East Coast in 2004 after graduating from Bates College with degrees in Secondary Education and English Literature. While teaching English at local Public and Private Schools- including a boys Juvenile Prison, she studied for her Masters in Communications at the University of Denver. Tahlia has worked for the city of Centennial since 2018 when she was elected President of the Marvella Metropolitan District. Additionally, she serves as an Executive Board member on various boards for organizations based both locally in Colorado as well as New York City. Tahlia and her family have been at Cherry Creek Academy since 2019 and now have three children here: one 8th grader and two 4th graders. They are all three actively involved in the world of competitive sports; namely Rapids Soccer, Flag Football and basketball.
Prior to joining the board, Tahlia served on the PTO as an Executive Board Member, VP of Enrichment and Fundraising co-chair. She has been a member of the Fly Like an Eagle Committee, worked on the Foundation’s Fun Run and been a devoted room parent, since joining the school.
Tahlia is truly honored to have been elected to the CCA board and hopes to represent and support the incredible administration and staff that make up the school. While
embracing the wonderfully diverse community and culture at CCA, her focus is on maintaining strong communications as well as upholding the school’s high academic
expectations and character values.

Adam Wehrle is a Colorado native, born and raised in Aurora.  He attended Cherry Creek Academy in 1995 as one of the first students. He was in the first class to continue from 8th Grade to High School.  His experience at CCA solidified the decision of where he would send his children to school.  He has been a parent at CCA since 2016.  He has two children, Audrey who recently graduated from CCA and John in 7th grade at CCA, both having attended since Kindergarten.  Adam attended Colorado State University, earning a Bachelor’s in Health and Exercise Science.  He began working as an EMT and soon after as a Paramedic in Aurora and Denver for 10 years.  

Adam currently serves as a member of the Colorado Army National Guard.  He is currently assigned to US NORTHCOM as a Liaison Officer to the National Guard Bureau.  He has served for nearly 14 years, deployed to Kosovo and successfully held Company Command.  In the civilian light he is a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) and Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI).  He flies when he can and is working toward his ATP certification.

Adam practices servant leadership and collaborative problem solving. He feels that every difficulty or problem presents an opportunity to grow and develop greater outcomes for individuals and the community.  He enjoys working as a member of a team and developing creative solutions to novel problem sets.