DENVER, CO., April 30, 2024 — The Girls Athletic Leadership Schools, also known as GALS Denver, announced today the appointment of Timeri Tolnay as its new Executive Director.  

GALS Denver looks to benefit from Tolnay’s extensive experience in education, leadership, and fundraising. With nearly 30 years of professional expertise to her credit, Tolnay has a history of establishing, expanding, and ultimately selling education ventures, such as EdCuration and Inquiry By Design. Her unwavering commitment to enhancing academic achievements and ensuring student triumph has been the driving force behind her success. 

Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Tolnay spent 15 years in instructional leadership positions at prominent institutions such as the Colorado School of Mines, Arrupe Jesuit High School, Denver Public Schools, and the Santa Ana Unified School District in California.

Tolnay will officially join GALS Denver on June 1st; however, she plans to participate in many of the school’s year end activities including the Graduation and 8th Grade Continuation ceremonies in May. To ensure a seamless and triumphant transition, Tolnay will be collaborating with the school’s current executive director and leadership team throughout the summer.  

“I am thrilled to join GALS Denver and continue the incredible work of Carol Bowar and her team. Now is the time to invest in the education and empowerment of young women and gender expansive youth. As the leader of this amazing, unique, wellness focused school, I can’t wait to see what incredible things we’ll achieve together.”

The appointment was the culmination of a robust national search that started last fall when GALS’ current executive director, Carol Bowar, expressed interest in identifying a new leader in conjunction with the school’s 3.0 strategic plan which is currently underway. 

Bowar has been with GALS Denver for nearly two decades. Starting in 2009 as a founding board member, she took over day-to-day responsibility of the school in 2016 as Executive Director. She has led GALS through tremendous growth, created financial stability, led GALS through the pandemic and back to normalcy and growth, and established a new long-term endowment fund. Bowar’s stellar accomplishments were recognized earlier this year by the Colorado League of Charter Schools who named her 2024 ‘Charter School Leader of the Year.’ 

With Tolnay at the helm, GALS aims to advance the school’s mission to empower all students to succeed academically, lead confidently, live boldly and thrive physically. Her plan is to broaden GALS’ visibility and establish meaningful and dynamic partnerships within the Denver community and beyond. She aspires to further build the school’s unique model which includes social emotional and leadership development through their wellness-focused culture and rigorous academic curriculum. 

“The board unanimously agreed Timeri’s distinctive background and expertise are precisely what GALS needs as it ventures into this new phase of growth,” shared Margaret-Ann Leavitt, the school’s interim board chair. “Her remarkable achievements, unwavering dedication to our mission, and indomitable spirit will unquestionably pave the way for GALS to reach new heights of success.”

Please join the GALS Board of Directors along with the school’s leadership team, families and students in welcoming Timeri Tolnay to her new role as Executive Director of GALS Denver. 

About the Girls Athletic Leadership Schools (GALS Denver)

GALS Denver opened in 2010 as the first free, public, all girls school in the state of Colorado, first as a middle school, and in 2014 added the high school. Both schools are part of the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Family of Schools. GALS serves 350+ students in grades 6-12 with the mission to empower girls to succeed academically, lead confidently, live boldly and thrive physically. This is accomplished by delivering a college preparatory curriculum in a supportive environment fostering academic mastery and personal development necessary for every student to become a powerful advocate for themselves and a leader in their community. The school’s model includes daily movement (physical wellness) classes in which all students and staff participate, movement as part of the pedagogy, a team of therapeutic counselors to support all students and families navigate barriers to academic and life success, a daily core course, “GALS series,” focused on social emotional health and leadership development, and an intentional, wellness-focused culture paired with a rigorous academic curriculum. GALS Denver is the flagship school for GALS Inc., who is working to open its third school in Ohio in 2025.  To learn more about GALS Denver, visit our website at GALSdenver.org.

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CONTACT

Alex Jimenez
303-306-4707
alex.jimenez@galsdenver.org