Three Front Range Community College employees have been honored by the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education for outstanding performances:
- Dave Skiles, Geographic Information Systems faculty at the Boulder County Campus in Longmont, Master Teacher of the Year.
- Brian Route, Information Technology technician at the Larimer Campus in Fort Collins, Classified Employee of the Year.
- Jason Wright, coordinator of student success, technology, and social media at the Westminster Campus, Administrator of the Year.
Dave Skiles
In 1987, Skiles transitioned from a career as a research engineer to work with one of the first commercial geographic information systems (GIS) products.
By the early 2000s, Skiles, as a professional services manager, had achieved the respect of colleagues around the world, but something was missing. “I explored the idea of teaching because I discovered there was a need to teach others what I had learned. I wanted to help other people see the possibilities,” he says. In 2005, he joined FRCC’s Boulder County Campus
Skiles creates a stimulating classroom environment. A student wrote of Skiles, “He has shown a remarkable ability to connect with students of all ages and backgrounds. His excitement and knowledge are contagious.”
Brian Route
Brian Route
Route started as a student technician in 2004, becoming full time in 2006. He helps college computer users work with technology, be it computers, laptops, or tablets or other mobile devices.
He is a Microsoft Certified Professional. One major project he worked on was to connect a Macintosh infrastructure at all three FRCC sites.
“Brian is very knowledgeable about all things technology,” says Susie Peppers, assistant director of information technology. “He enjoys researching the latest technologies and how they can benefit the college. He is friendly and always ready to help. He provides excellent customer service. As a result, Brian is admired and respected by his peers, faculty, and staff.”
Route is pursuing an applied computer technology degree from Colorado State University.
Jason Wright
Jason Wright
Wright was honored for his work as coordinator of student activities at the Westminster Campus, a position he held from 2008 until a recent move to his new responsibilities.
Wright, a graduate of Washburn University, is a founding advisor of the campus chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success. The chapter grew to 450 members and was named national chapter of the year among more than 350 chapters nationwide.
A student nomination stated, “Jason inspires leadership among scholars trying to gain skills not learned in the classroom. His quiet enthusiasm does not adequately reflect the deep passion he demonstrates for developing student potential, or the joy he gets from seeing others succeed.”
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, and Brighton, and online.
FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System, the state’s largest system of higher education. CCCS serves more than 162,000 students annually. The system oversees career and academic programs in the 13 state community colleges and career and technical programs in more than 160 school districts and six other post-secondary institutions.
