About Us

Sara Merrill is a parent to two current Traut students and one graduate of Traut. With her kids being in first, 3rd grade, and 8th grade, success at Traut is incredibly important to her. Being a native of Fort Collins and educated in the Poudre School District, Sara is keenly aware of the challenges our educational system faces, culturally, financially and politically. She's been passionate about the improvement and well-being of all students, which is reflected in her coaching and volunteer work within the community and at Traut. Sara has been a classroom coordinator for eight years, as well as being a part of the mentorship program for nine. This work has allowed Sara to network with parents and have a front-row seat to the positive regard they have for their children and Traut staff. While working as a volunteer inside the classroom, Sara has been privileged to work with the students and embrace their unique qualities and differences. She has also been a coach with Battle of the Books and has participated as a coach for Fort Collins Arsenal soccer and basketball. 

Miranda Rogers is mother to a 4th grader, a 2nd grader, and a kindergartener at Traut.  Miranda met her husband, Robert, at the University of Texas School of Law in 2005, and they have been married for almost 13 years.  She practiced for eight years in Denver as an intellectual property litigator with an international law firm.  

For the past four years, she has had the privilege of being a class coordinator and a mentor to incoming Traut families.  She loves volunteering in her children's classrooms in order to actively participate in their education and to advance the mission behind the formation of Traut Core Knowledge School.

 Courtney Elder and her husband, Chris, have 3 children: a 3rd grader, a 1st grader, and a 4 year old who will join his siblings at Traut in a few years.
Originally from Connecticut, she worked at an investment bank in New York for a few years after graduating from Villanova University with degrees in Economics, Communications, and Business.  She moved to Colorado where she attended CSU to obtain a master's degree in Occupational Therapy.  She worked as a therapist in a rehabilitation hospital for 8 years before stepping away to focus on more of the daily activities of her family.  
Courtney believes the strong parent-teacher-student partnerships at Traut foster a mutual commitment that drives the success of our students and the school and she is serving on the PAB to help maintain and strengthen these partnerships. 

Hima Maligireddy is the mother to a fifth-grade student at Traut Core Knowledge. Originally from India, she and her husband Ashwin moved to Fort Collins in 2016. Ashwin is a Nephrologist in a private practice serving Northern Colorado. Hima has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from India in addition to a master’s in Finance from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. She worked as Credit Analyst in India and as a Strategy and Finance Analyst at a boutique Healthcare Private Equity firm in Nashville. Currently, she manages their family investments.

Since their son started attending Traut, Hima has always volunteered in the classroom. She has also served on the Media/Library committee and the Curriculum Committee. During her time at the Curriculum Committee, she worked on adapting a new spelling curriculum as well as drafting a new  homework policy that is in line with current research. During their last two years at Traut, she is excited to serve on the Parent Advisory Board and is hoping to create more opportunities for parents to partner in their children’s education and development. 

Christian Newton is the father of 3 children in which 2 currently attend Traut, Kaylyn (3rd) and Dwyer (1st).  He has a BS and MS of Science degree from Georgia Southern University.  His family moved to Fort Collins over 10 years ago from Atlanta, GA for his job at Colorado State as the Men's Golf Coach. He coached collegiate golf for 20+ years, but made a career change last summer. He decided to step away from coaching and pursue a job where he could be home more often. He is currently a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones and enjoys using his coaching skills in a new way, by helping people grow their money. 
He serves on the PAB to help support the faculty and staff at Traut. He loves this school and all the people that pour into his kids daily. He owes everything to his educational background and wants to help support that foundation for the students at Traut.

Dr. Danny Mistry, MD, MS, ATC is board certified in Internal Medicine and an Athletic Trainer. He practices Primary Care Sports Medicine at the Aasha Brain Clinic™, Fort Collins, CO. Prior to moving to Colorado 12 years ago, he was a Team Physician and Co-Medical Director for the University of Virginia Athletics Department in Charlottesville, VA between 2002-2011 during which he had developed numerous clinical programs for the health and safety of Division 1 athletes. He is a National Team Physician for USA Swimming, serves on the Sports Medicine Advisory Board for USA Swimming, is the Chair of the Concussion Task Force for USA Swimming and serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). He serves on the Technology  Committee at Traut - committed to further development of the outdoor classroom, and is excited to serve on the PAB to do whatever it takes to foster our growth, while continuing to enhance Parent Partnerships which makes our school so unique and special! Besides work, he is an avid chef and is currently authoring the “Whole Soul Cookbook’, being  written to support orphanages worldwide. He loves spending time with his wife Kelly and his son Jal (currently a 4th grader at Traut), exploring the great outdoors and traveling worldwide.