Gilgenast is running for the WP School Board
Kassidi Gilgenast is running for the Woodland Park School District RE-2 Board of Education
Featured in the Pikes Peak Courier on June 9, 2025
WOODLAND PARK, CO – June 9, 2025 – Kassidi Gilgenast, a 10-year Woodland Park community resident, coach and volunteer, today announced her candidacy for the Woodland Park School District Board of Education. Gilgenast's campaign will focus on restoring fiscal responsibility, enhancing transparency, rebuilding community trust, and developing a comprehensive 10-15 year strategic vision for the district's future.
"Our school district stands at a critical juncture," said Gilgenast. "This community deserves leadership that brings people together around our shared commitment to our schools. I'm running to restore financial stability, rebuild trust through transparency, and chart a clear path forward for Woodland Park students."
Gilgenast brings experience in nonprofit leadership, program development, budget management and strategic planning to the role, having managed multi-million dollar budgets and led organizational strategic planning initiatives throughout her career. Her professional and community service background provides skills directly applicable to school district governance.
Rebuilding Community Trust Through Data-Driven Decision Making
Recognizing that recent years have strained relationships between the district and community, Gilgenast commits to fostering open communication, decision-making processes, and community engagement for parents, teachers, staff, students, and community members’ input. “I believe it's time for this community to heal. It's been hard watching so many wonderful teachers and families leave the district. These are our neighbors and friends, many of them still live in Woodland Park. As a parent, I got involved In the District Accountability Committee because I felt that major decisions were being made for the district without parent or community input. I want to make sure that every parent in this district feels heard and understands how and why decisions are being made”, Gilgenast said.
Strategic Vision
Gilgenast's candidacy is anchored by a comprehensive strategic planning framework she developed while serving as the Columbine Elementary School parent representative on the District Accountability Committee. This framework provided a detailed roadmap for addressing current challenges while building on recent acad emic achievements and focuses on identifying key performance indicators that demonstrate the overall health of the district including academic achievement, family and community engagement, enrollment, operational excellence, student engagement, teacher support and retention, and post-graduation success.
Deep Community Roots
For over a decade, Gilgenast has been a visible presence in the district as an assistant volleyball coach at Woodland Park High School while mentoring hundreds of student-athletes. As a coach she helped lead the Panthers to a Colorado Springs Metro League Championship and CHSAA Girls Volleyball State Championship appearance in 2022.
"Coaching has taught me that success comes from setting clear expectations and working together toward common goals," said Gilgenast. "These same principles apply to effective school board leadership. I love my players as if they were my own kids and I believe in setting high standards. I want every child in this district to succeed and thrive.”
Her community involvement extends throughout Woodland Park, where she has served as vice chair and chair of the Keep Woodland Park Beautiful committee, president of Woodland Park Volleyball Club, coach for Parks & Recreation volleyball and classroom volunteer at Columbine Elementary. As a parent of two district students and active volunteer, she understands firsthand the daily realities facing families in the district.
As a military family, the Gilgenasts bring unique perspectives on service, sacrifice, and commitment to their community. Kassidi's husband, Erik Gilgenast, is an active duty U.S. Army Special Forces operator with 17 years of distinguished service, having deployed eight times worldwide in high-stakes operational environments and combat zones with 10th Special Forces Group.
Gilgenast brings extensive executive-level experience in strategic planning, communications and public relations to the role. Most recently appointed as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for a professional indoor football team, she previously served as Chief Marketing Officer for USA Volleyball, where she led transformative initiatives that generated a $2.5 million increase in revenue while establishing a comprehensive marketing, communications, and creative services department.
Her leadership capabilities were demonstrated on the global stage when she directed USA Volleyball's marketing and communications campaign for the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games, which garnered 72 billion editorial impressions and included a national medal celebration press tour. Additionally, she spearheaded marketing efforts for grassroots initiatives like USA Volleyball’s "Try Volleyball" campaign, which successfully introduced more than 6,000 youth to the sport in its first year in 2024.
"We need leadership that unites our community and builds bridges”, Gilgenast emphasized. “I want to hear from parents, teachers, students, and community members about their hopes and concerns for our schools. Together, we can build a stronger district that serves every school, every student and supports our entire community."
Election Information:
The Woodland Park School District Board of Education election will be held on November 4th.