Susan Kaplan, M.S.W., M.P.A., R.Y.T., is a trainer, coach and consultant. She is a Facilitator for Compassionate Communication, based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, for Rocky Mountain Compassionate Communication Center, providing professional development and leadership support for those in the non-profit organizations and training for early childhood educators, parents and families. She is an Adjunct Professor for the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, teaching community practice and mind-body connections and provides professional development for Early Childhood Professionals at Red Rocks Community College. Weaving her professional work with storytelling and yoga, she provides a variety of experiences in Courage work. She is on the leadership team for Colorado Courage Collaboration, offering retreats and professional support since 2010.

Paul Michalec received his PhD from the University of Colorado-Boulder in Multicultural Social Foundations of Education. He also holds a MA in Experiential Education from Mankato State University. He has 30 years of teaching experience in formal and informal educational settings. He is the former director of the Teacher Education Program in the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver.

Paul is a founding member of Colorado Courage and Renewal and leads professional development retreats for K-12 educators and religious leaders along the Front Range. He is the moderator of Lakewood United Church of Christ where he is leading the congregation on a Courage-informed process of spiritual discernment and formation.

His research interests include teacher education, effective instruction in higher education, spiritual dimensions of teaching, and teacher renewal/formation. Paul enjoys biking, baking, drawing, nature study, and reading in the areas of theology, poetry, philosophy, identity, and educational-spiritual reform. He is currently pursuing a second MA in Theological Studies from the Iliff School of Theology.

Vern Rempel is the founding pastor of Beloved Community: A Mennonite Congregation, based in Littleton, Colorado, a new congregational model that merges Courage & Renewal practices, traditional worship and vibrant live blues music. Before that, Vern served as Senior Pastor at the First Mennonite Church of Denver and at the Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He has a Doctor of Ministry from Iliff School of Theology and a Master’s from Anabaptist Seminary. His passions include making music, learning martial arts and community outreach.