Darnisha Orcutt | Board Chair
Darnisha graduated from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Psychology. She has devoted 13 years to serving youth through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County, starting as a Youth Development Professional and continuing to develop her leadership skills into her current role as Director of Programs, where she oversees youth programs across three locations.
Keith Donahue | Vice Board Chair
Keith Donahue currently provides support to Idaho charters as the Director of School Strategy and Operations for BLUUM. Prior to this role, he spent 11 years at Sage International School, serving as a founding board member, Development Director, and Executive Director. With 12 years as a legal professional, Keith advised government clients, drafted legislation, and ensured compliance. Keith holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Juris Doctor from Lewis and Clark School of Law.
Basile Beaty | Treasurer
Basile Beaty, the co-owner and managing member of Verdant CrossFit, focuses on consulting businesses with strategic initiatives, process management, due diligence, and project implementations. He has a B.A. in English and Russian from Amherst College, an M.A. in Curriculum and Education from University of Mississippi, and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from University of Southern California.
Tracy Sedano
Tracy Sedano is an Idaho native and a graduate of Boise State University. She spent two years teaching special education in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of Teach For America, where she earned her master’s degree in Special Education. Tracy moved back to Idaho and in 2016 joined Teach For America’s Idaho region, where she served as a teacher coach for several years and is now the Director of Programs for program corps members and alumni.
Colleen Mackay
Colleen Mackay holds an M.A. in Special and Elementary Education from American University and a C.A.S. in Educational Leadership from National-Louis University. With extensive experience as a Special Education teacher, Assistant Principal, Program Director, and CEO, Colleen is now the New School Officer at BLUUM, where she applies her expertise to identify and nurture new school leadership talent.
Whitley Caka
Whitley Hawk is a seasoned HR professional with over 13 years of experience in both military and civilian sectors. She currently serves as the HR Officer for Idaho Trust Bank. Whitley previously co-founded Inclusive Idaho, a nonprofit whose mission is to support historically excluded communities, such as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+, and promote inclusion and belonging by focusing on advocacy, support, and coalition-building.
Jeff Carlson
Coming soon!
Erick Gutierrez
Erick Gutierrez is an experienced project manager in marketing, communications, and graphic design with nearly 10 years of experience coupled with a degree in Graphic Design from Northwest Nazarene University. He currently serves as a Project Manager for creative agency SOVRN, drawing from previous roles as Account Coordinator at Stoltz Marketing Group and Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Treasure Valley Family YMCA.
Brad Petersen
Brad Petersen is co-founder of Future Public School and was one of the two inaugural BLUUM Idaho New School Fellows. Brad was also a 4.0 Tiny Fellow focused on increasing equitable access to innovative STEM and computational learning opportunities. Previously, he taught and designed curriculum for KIPP Houston Public Schools. He graduated magna cum laude from BYU-Idaho and was a Teach For America Corps member in 2013. He has a Master’s degree from the University of Houston. While teaching, Brad founded an after-school computer-science club in partnership with Google, and co-founded and led a technology startup centered on empowering student voice in the school cafeteria.
Amanda Cox
Amanda Cox is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Future Public School and one of the two inaugural BLUUM Idaho New School Fellows. She is a proud first-generation college graduate and began her career in education as a third grade teacher in 2007. She taught in rural, Eastern North Carolina from 2007-2012 as a Teach For America corps member, teaching both in a traditional district school and at a KIPP charter school. Amanda is affiliated with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and previously served on the national advisory council for the Native Alliance Initiative. Amanda served as Director of Teacher Leadership Development for Teach For America – South Carolina for four years where she managed a team of instructional and leadership coaches. Amanda received her B.A. in Sociology from Whitworth College, as well as an Ed. M with a research concentration from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
