Board of Directors Bios
Natalie Doxey
Board Chair
Natalie Doxey is a full-time mom to her four children and also provides daily care for her elderly father in-law & grandfather in-law. She enjoys spending time with family, being spoiled by the beauty of Colorado, volunteering at her local church as an Interfaith Specialist, participating in her community, and going out for long bike rides down the Highline Canal.
Natalie has been a Vanguard Classical School parent for 11 years; all four of her children currently attend Vanguard Classical School East. Natalie runs her own photography business in her spare time.
Ousman Ba
Community Representative
Ousman Ba is originally from Senegal, and was raised in Denver, Colorado. A first generation college graduate at Colorado State University with a degree in political science and international studies. Upon graduation, Ousman committed to a year of service with Americorps City Year, where he worked at Miami Central High School preparing students with the social, emotional, and academic skills and mindsets to succeed in school and in life. After City Year, he moved back to Denver and worked in the banking industry as a treasury management representative with FirstBank. During his time at FirstBank, he volunteered with African Leadership Group(ALG) as the Youth Empowerment Program facilitator. After two years as a volunteer, he joined the ALG team as a Program Coordinator. Past graduate of the Leadership Africa Program with African Leadership Group and currently is part of Leadership Aurora class of 2023. He sits on the Board of Ednium Collective. Ousman is passionate about serving the community, loves sports, reading, traveling and enjoys time with family and friends.
Ryan Gensler
Community Representative
Ryan Gensler is the Executive Vice President of CareerWise USA, working to create a more equitable and inclusive economy by expanding modern youth apprenticeship across the US. His career in workforce began after his time as Marketing Manager and Director of Community Engagement for Intertech Plastics. Ryan was contracted by the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance to build work-based learning programs across Colorado. This led Ryan to manage the startup of CareerWise Colorado, a systemic approach to youth apprenticeships, akin to the Swiss VET System. Additionally, he helped build Governor Hickenlooper’s Business Experiential Learning (BEL) Commission and organized the Governor’s apprenticeship delegation to Switzerland. After helping run a gubernatorial campaign, Ryan went on to consult with various nonprofit and government organizations on workforce development initiatives, including raising
over $4M for the Colorado Workforce Development Council to upskill retail workers and
developing a 20-state network focused on skills in the digital economy, before returning to
CareerWise to lead national growth efforts. Since rejoining CareerWise he has built a technical
assistance and expansion division called CareerWise USA, supported the launch of CareerWise
youth apprenticeship programs in New York City, Buffalo, Indiana, Michigan, and Washington
D.C., and provides technical assistance to communities across the country. He received his bachelor’s in entrepreneurial management and marketing from Creighton University and was the first recipient of the Creighton Entrepreneurial Student Leader of the Year Award. Ryan served on the Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado Young Professionals Board from 2013 to 2018 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Denver CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) ensuring children in the welfare system have a voice. He is also an appointed member of the American Swiss Foundation’s Young Leaders Conference. He enjoys traveling with his family and friends, skiing, cooking, and helping his husband’s family on their farm.
Vanessa Sanchez
Parent Representative
Vanessa Sanchez is a Escrow Title Closer and an Independent Beauty consultant with Mary Kay. She is the mother of 3 children. They drive her to be a better person everyday. Her parents instilled in her values that to this day she continues to practice. Respect, loyalty, honesty and solidarity. Helping others is one of her best qualities. As a parent of a Vanguard Classical student for 12 years, she loves being able to volunteer whenever possible at the school and special events. In her spare time she loves to read, spend time with family, walks in the park with her dog, and puzzles.