Full Circle: Alumna Elected Board President

Liberty Common School alumna Elizabeth Timpe was installed as President of the institution’s Board of Directors at its June meeting marking a first in the school's history, possibly a first in Colorado's charter-school movement.  Her position formally became effective Wednesday 1 July 2026.

Timpe's election is certainly among the first instances of a graduate serving as president of their own alma mater’s governing board given the age of Colorado’s charter-school law.  Colorado's Charter Schools Act was passed in 1994.  Many early charter schools did not include high-school programs making this level of alumni leadership unique.

For Timpe, the appointment represents the culmination of a lifelong connection to Liberty Common School, a Poudre School District-authorized charter-public school.

Timpe attended Liberty Common School in its early years from 2000 to 2003 before continuing her education and earning a degree in biochemistry.  She returned to Liberty as a professional-classroom educator and department head teaching chemistry, seventh-grade science, and leading the school’s science department from 2012 to 2015.  Today, she is a parent of four, three of which are currently attending the school.

"Serving as Board President of the very school that had such a profound impact on my own life is both humbling and deeply meaningful," Timpe said.  "I have had the privilege of experiencing Liberty as a student, a teacher, a parent, and now as Board President."

Liberty's influence extended throughout every stage of Timpe's life.  She credits the school's Core Knowledge curriculum, study of Latin, professional faculty, and culture of academic excellence with preparing her for success in high school, college, school leadership, and beyond.  The proficiency of Liberty educators even helped inspire her own career in teaching.

"When I graduated from college with a degree in biochemistry and wasn't quite sure what to do next, the principal of Liberty was one of the first people to call and ask if I had ever considered teaching,"  Timpe said. "Because of the example set by the teachers who had invested in me, I decided to pursue teaching."

Her family's connection to Liberty spans generations.  Her parents were close friends with several of the school's founders, her mother volunteered regularly, and her father served on the school’s Board of Directors.  Timpe and her husband Seth chose to move back to Northern Colorado so their own children could attend Liberty.

“Mrs. Timpe’s longstanding connection and engagement to the school is quite a statement about the high importance of public education and its role in galvanizing a community,” said the school’s Headmaster Bob Schaffer.  “I remember her as an LCS student and admired her own parents’ active engagement in the school.  She returned here to teach and really embraced the school’s teaching philosophy and academic strategies.  Now she is, along with the other Board Members, my boss and plays an outsized leadership role in keeping the school on track with the experience and skillset I don’t think any other school leader could possibly have.  Liberty Common School students are certainly fortunate to have her hand on the tiller today.”    

As Board President, Timpe says she is committed to preserving the mission that shaped her own education and ensuring future generations of Liberty students receive the same accelerated academic foundation.

"Liberty has always understood that the goal of education is not simply to impart knowledge but to cultivate well-rounded, thoughtful, and virtuous citizens," Timpe said.  "It is my hope that future generations of Liberty students—including my own children—will leave Liberty with the same love of learning, strength of character, and foundation for life that it gave me."

Timpe's installment reflects the lasting impact of Liberty Common School's mission and the enduring commitment of its graduates to the institution that helped shape their lives.