All of Moira Coogan's life, a muse has watched over her, instilling in her the values that have made her the socially aware educator and union leader she is today.
From an early age, Moira's mother, Mary Jo Kishel Coogan, a follower of liberation theology, was committed to social justice and civil rights, following the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. At 16, she boarded a bus with Quakers to attend the 1963 March on Washington.
Later, as a divorced mother with no time to earn her doctorate, Mary Jo worked on policy analysis in the Office of the President at the University of Colorado, where Moira was raised. Moira says, "My mother taught me that we should talk to the janitor the same way we talk to the college president." She also encouraged Moira to earn her doctorate someday, saying, "It will be like a union card."
It was no wonder that Moira earned her master's degree and doctorate in special education and went on to become president of the Denver School Leaders Association, Local 136, AFSA, and a member of the AFSA General Executive Board.
Her father, Tom Coogan, traveled almost constantly for his marketing job, so during the summers Moira joined him in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and even Jakarta, Indonesia. "Like Obama," she laughs.
Born and raised in Colorado, she broadened her worldview through travel. She says, "I went to the international school in Jakarta for one whole summer and saw the absolute difference between the haves and have-nots, and it stuck with me forever."
She adds, "That's why I want to open doors to everybody. That's what unions are all about. They're about gaining access to power and getting a seat at the table."
When Moira became an administrator, she joined the local professional association. The association reached out to AFSA about organizing as a union and received invaluable advice. When Moira ran for union secretary, her mother — who passed away shortly afterward — said, "This is going to be one of the most important things you do in your life."
Today, as president of Local 136, she has seen the six-year-old union grow rapidly and win two contracts. "Anyone who wants to start a union should reach out to AFSA, and they'll give you advice and connect you to people nationally who've gone through the same thing. You'll feel supported, even today, with the current administration."
Moira also credits part of DSLA's success to the continued support of her superintendent, Alex Marrero, who was once a member of CSA, Local 1.
But when Moira graduated Phi Beta Kappa in English and secondary education from the University of Colorado Boulder, union organizing was far from her mind. She was thinking about becoming a lawyer.
At the same time, some of her teachers had been exceptionally supportive when Moira's mother — "my bestie" — was diagnosed with cancer. Those teachers influenced her decision to become an educator.
"But most of all," she says, "I remembered someone telling me I was too smart to be a teacher, and I was so offended, I dug in and became one."
At a young age, she began her career as a classroom teacher and spent eight years teaching language arts, mathematics and special education at the elementary, middle and high school levels. She also taught all core subjects at an alternative high school for expelled students.
In 1998, she took a class on student behavior under Francie Murray.
"She was tough. She gave me my only grad school B, but I figured out that special education was my jam."
From 2006 to 2008, Moira left the classroom to become an instructional coach and later an instructional specialist in assessment, supporting a network of 15 urban elementary principals.
Well prepared to become a full-time administrator, she was appointed assistant principal at Martin Luther King Jr. Early College in Denver, a Title I school where she achieved a 100% graduation rate.
In 2013, Moira was named principal of Fremont Elementary in Arvada, Colorado, a Title I school that included a Level III center for students diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorders.
"I loved it," she says. "I really became a champion of inclusion."
Next, she went to REACH Charter School Center in Denver, a multi-intensive autism center. There, she developed a new transdisciplinary special education service delivery system. During her two-year tenure, she increased enrollment by 40%.
After that, she became assistant principal and then principal of Denver Center for International Studies at Montbello, a Title I school with a newcomer center and an affective needs center.
Currently, Moira is principal of the North High School Engagement Center. The center supports students who have gaps in their education. It also accepts students from other area schools and students who are not enrolled in Denver Public Schools.
"We are committed to assisting all students in overcoming obstacles while allowing them to continue in a comprehensive high school setting," she says.
Students at the North High School Engagement Center benefit from an intentional focus on developing positive relationships and from small class sizes that allow teachers to individualize instruction.
Throughout her more than 20-year career as a teacher, school leader and college instructor preparing future educators, Moira has focused on equity and excellence to eliminate unequal access to learning opportunities and challenge students.
She says, "I have always believed that all means all."
Despite her demanding career, Moira makes time for her husband, Matt Carroll, and their son, Joseph, now in ninth grade, and daughter, Mariana, now in sixth grade.
Moira also skis, reads historical fiction, and enjoys reading and attending Shakespearean plays, just as she did growing up on campus under her mother's guidance.
Moira developed many of her interests and all of her values from her mother, Mary Jo, who has passed away but continues to inspire her every day.
Physically, her mother is gone, but spiritually, she remains very much alive.
