Michelle Mares

Michelle C. Mares is a full-time faculty member at the Kempe Center, University of Colorado
Anschutz Medical Campus, where she currently leads the Foster, Kin, and Adoptive Parent Training
Department for Colorado’s Child Welfare Training System. In this role, she is responsible for
developing, designing, and authoring statewide training programs and curricula for caregivers
across all 64 counties in Colorado. She also oversees the facilitation of caregiver training to ensure
quality and compliance with legal expectations in child welfare.
A trained Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner, Michelle regularly delivers the 24-
hour TBRI training program to organizations within and outside of Colorado’s child welfare system.
She conducts these sessions multiple times a year, offering both in-person and virtual facilitation.
With over 28 years of experience working with children and families, Michelle has held various
roles, including as a middle school educator and as the manager of a federally funded program that
trains educators to foster strong relationships with parents and families, leading to the Parent
Teacher Home Visit Program successfully conducting over 10,000 home visits in a single school
year.

• Served as an advisor for extracurricular activities such as clubs or sports teams, contributing to a vibrant school community.
• Consistently evaluated student performance using formative assessments, ensuring timely feedback on progress and adjustments to instructional strategies as needed.
• Supported special education students by adapting lesson plans and providing additional resources to meet their unique needs.
• Increased parent involvement by regularly communicating with families and organizing school events.
• Implemented data-driven instruction methods to identify areas for improvement and tailor teaching approaches for maximum impact.
• Promoted a culture of respect and inclusivity within the classroom, fostering strong relationships between students from diverse backgrounds.
• Delivered personalized educational, behavioral, and emotional support to individual students to enable positive learning outcomes.