The National Leadership Academy staff is made up of company employees, hired leadership professional contractors, adult and student (college and high school) leaders. The following are the National Leadership Academy Leadership Team:

Joel Mauney is the program director for Colorado Close Up and National Leadership Academy. He has a passion for youth leadership development and civic engagement. Joel is originally from North Carolina and has lived in Colorado since 1997. He is a founding father and was the program director for the Leader’s Challenge program before pursuing other adventures. Joel traveled and worked with the international educational performing arts program Up with People. He has a BFA in Communication Art from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.

Kerry Caldwell is the business manager for Spaulding Leadership Institute. Prior to SLI, Caldwell built his financial career at JP Morgan Chase Bank, Watermark Financial Partners, Paychex Inc., Qwest Communications and Access National Bank. Caldwell has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.  

Dan Streeter is the curriculum director for Colorado Close Up, academy director for National Leadership Academy and coordinator for Kid’s Challenge. Streeter is assistant principal at Northridge Elementary School and has an exhaustive list of leadership training credentials and awards including 9News Teacher Who Cares Award Winner and Colorado Teacher of the Year nominee. Streeter has a BA in History and Social Science from Colorado State University and a MA in Educational Leadership from University of Colorado at Denver.

Joanie Funderburk is the assistant academy director for National Leadership Academy. Funderburk is a Denver native and holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a MA in Administrative Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Colorado at Denver. Joanie has 20 years of experience in education, teaching math and working with students and teachers in leadership education. Currently, Funderburk serves as the Cherry Creek School District's secondary math coordinator.

Educators

If you are an educator and are interested in participating in the special educator-specific session of the National Leadership Academy program, please contact program director Joel Mauney at 303-520-1424 or joel@spauldingcompanies.com for more information. National Leadership Academy has a variety of volunteer positions for educators as well. If you are interested in volunteering during the National Leadership Academy, please let us know at the email address above.