Meet the Directors
Brian Fabrizius
President, Board of Education
Director District A
Brian Fabrizius joins the board representing District A, which was previously held by Jeff Seaton. Brian graduated from Highland High School's Class of 1997 before attending Colorado State University and has three children; Blake, Tanner, and Harper, who are currently attending Highland Schools. Brian sees serving on the board as an opportunity to give back to his community. Brian works at his family's ranch and reclamation business and coaches middle school football as well as boys' and girls basketball. In his free time, Brian enjoys spending time with his family, spending time engaging in water sports at the lake, and attending 4H and FFA livestock shows.
Ryleigh Sittner
Member, Board of Education
Director District B
Ryane "Ryleigh" Sittner joins the board representing District B. She will be in the seat previously held by Chris Van Why. Ryleigh and her family have been in the Weld RE 9 School District for a little over 13 years. They moved to Nunn from Durango, Colorado where they still own the ranch that has been in the family for 6 generations.
Ryleigh joined the board to help preserve the culture her and her family have grown to love at Highland. She believes that Weld RE 9 has a lot of things to be proud of and that she is proud to to be a part of. Her oldest graduated from RE 9 and she still has3 boys actively enrolled in the Highland school system.
Ryleigh, in addition to being a full time mother and board member, helps manage the family trucking business in Nunn. She enjoys riding her horses, going to thee mountains, fishing, hunting and going to the lake.
Heather Simpson
Member, Board of Education
Director District D
Heather Simpson joins the board representing District D, which was previously held by Mary Clawson. Heather has lived in the community for 15 years with her 3 children, 2 of which are currently enrolled in the Highland District: Rylan and Tegan. Heather is actively involved in the community participating in fundraising, serving on committees and boards and coaching volleyball through HRA. She is excited to be a part of the Highland board that shares like minded values and goals and strives to provide a quality education to the students and to help them become successful free-thinking leaders. Heather and her husband Cliff Simpson own C & H Excavation and C Simpson Farms, both local businesses in the community. Heather enjoys spending time with her family, farming, boating, traveling, and hosting gatherings with family and friends.
John Batka
Secretry/Treasurer, Board of Education
Director District C
John Batka joins the board representing District C, which was previously held by Dr. John Scanga. He grew up in a small agricultural community on the western slope of Colorado and the small town roots are what brought him and his wife Kristi to the Ault area in 2005 to raise a family. They have 2 children in the Highland School District. John is a graduate of Colorado State University and is employed by the Colorado Division of Water Resources as a civil engineer. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his family as well as watching his children compete in sports and 4-H activities.
Tara Steinke
Vice President, Board of Education
Director District E
Tara Steinke joins the board representing District E. She grew up in a small agricultural town on the Eastern Plains of Colorado and graduated from Arickaree School. Tara is a graduate of Grace Bible College and Colorado State University and is currently employed in the Oil and Gas Industry working as a Safety Professional. Her two boys attend Highland High School. Tara wants to serve her community and keep Highland a great place to attend school. In her free time, she enjoys attending her children’s sporting events and 4-H activities.