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Government and Professional Relations (GPR) Committee

The mission of the Government and Professional Relations (GPR) Committee is to increase CSSP’s statewide policy presence through legislative advocacy, public policy development, and grassroots advocacy efforts. In collaboration with our government liaison, this nine member committee works with state legislators and other regulatory agencies to advocate for enhancements within our profession. Our work is rooted in best practices and motivated by the children, families, and educators with which we serve.


Benjamin Ellis

GPR Committee Chair


Ben has been the GPR chair since Summer of 2022. He is currently a school psychologist in the Weld RE-3J School District and formerly Stellar Elementary in Adams 12 and Scott Carpenter Middle School in the Westminster Public Schools. He has had an interest in law, politics and public policy most of his adult life, having worked as a campaign coordinator for a state representative as his first job out of college. Among other policy priorities, Ben believes that the education system has a lot more it needs to do to serve families of color and that IDEA could use revisions to focus less on labels and more on getting services and protections to those who need them, regardless of socially constructed disability criteria. In his free time, Ben enjoys road biking, hiking, kayaking and the occasional road trip when circumstances permit.


Heather Travis

Legislative Chair



Dr. Heather Travis is a School Psychologist in the Cherry Creek School District. She has conducted research on the LGBTQ+ supports available in K-12 schools and the barriers to the implementation of supports. She proudly participated as a board member working to build and further the efforts of the Global Majority Collective, a student-led organization of the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) designed to empower students from racial or ethnic minoritized groups in the UCD Doctoral School Psychology program. Dr. Travis is passionate about building inclusive communities, supporting minoritized populations, as well as advocating for and furthering the field of school psychology.


Leigh Williams
GPR Committee Member



Leigh Williams, MA, Ed. S, NCSP, LPC, NCC, CCMHC has twenty-five years of mental health experience. She started out working as a therapist with Aurora Mental Health and later worked for the Denver Department of Human Services as an adolescent social caseworker. She has worked for the Cherry Creek School District for 18 years. She has worked as a middle school psychologist, high school psychologist, mental health coordinator, elementary special education coordinator, secondary special education coordinator, gifted/talented coordinator, and director of clinical training and school support. She currently serves as a special education mental health director.  Leigh is also the Multicultural Affairs Committee chair for NASP.  She is dually certified as she is a licensed professional counselor and school psychologist. Leigh is passionate about school psychology and mental health.




Katelyn Collins

Committee Member

Katelyn Collins, Ed.S., is a School Psychologist in the Mesa County Valley School District 51 with over 15 years of experience in mental health and educational settings. Her clinical background includes serving as a Residential Counselor at the Larimer Center for Mental Health, where she specialized in crisis intervention and the management of complex behavioral and emotional needs within a residential treatment framework. As a School Psychologist, Katelyn specializes in individual and group counseling, mental health needs assessment, and the development of Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs). She has extensive experience in crisis response, serving on district-level crisis intervention and BrainSTEPS teams and contributing eight years of service as a Volunteer Victims Advocate for the Grand Junction Police Department. Katelyn holds an Education Specialist degree in School Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. In her free time, Katelyn likes to take advantage of the beauty of Grand Junction with her family.