Renée Ludlam

Renée Ludlam ran for election for an at-large seat of the Academy School District 20 school board in Colorado. She lost in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Ludlam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Renée Ludlam was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ludlam's career experience includes working as a professor, graphic designer, project manager, department lead, represented artist, and volunteer. She earned a bachelor's degree from Creighton University in 2007 and a graduate degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2011.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Academy School District 20 school board, At-large (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Academy School District 20 school board, At-large on November 4, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Holly Tripp (Nonpartisan)	18.2	19,545
✔	Susan Payne (Nonpartisan)	17.5	18,826
✔	Eddie Waldrep (Nonpartisan)	17.3	18,620
	Brandon Clark (Nonpartisan)	15.1	16,247
	Renée Ludlam (Nonpartisan)	14.5	15,535
	Jennafer Stites (Nonpartisan)	13.4	14,413
	Cynthia Halverson (Nonpartisan)	4.0	4,257

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 107,443
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ludlam in this election.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Renée Ludlam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ludlam's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born in Colorado Springs and raised K-12 in D20, I am Renée Malloy Ludlam. A communicator and creative problem solver, I come from a family of educators and public servants. I volunteer in my child’s school garden, coach cross-country, and mentor students. Professionally, I have led the design and project management of large-scale projects from concept to construction and taught as a professor, guiding teams and students to success. My experience in both education and design gives me a unique ability to translate complex issues into clear, community-driven solutions. I want to ensure D20 gets back on track to retain its reputation and educators. I care deeply about the future of our children, educators, families, and the vital role public education plays in shaping our community. We need to realign our actions with our priorities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Transparency: There is a breakdown in trust between the community, educators, and the board. We need a board that listens with the intent to understand, is accessible, and responsive. The board should return to more public meetings a month to allow time for community input, and should reduce the number of closed-door meetings and special sessions. Meetings need to be more accessible and priority should be given to district voices over out-of-district special interests.
Recruiting and retaining talent: We have a problem with attracting and retaining educators. Historically, D20 has been a destination for both residents and teachers, and I am sad to see that changing. We need to fully support our educators, have manageable class sizes, stay fully staffed, and restore and demonstrate trust.
Fiscal responsibility: Every tax dollar needs to do the most good for the most students. We need responsible, accountable budgets that put student success first. Prioritizing students means dollars are going into classrooms, not courtrooms. It means taking care of our educators and maintaining our buildings, so students can thrive in safe, inspiring learning environments.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m passionate about policies that strengthen transparency, accountability, and public trust in our schools. Taxpayers and families deserve clear information about how decisions are made and where dollars go. I believe in reducing the influence of money and special interests in school board decisions. Finally, I’m committed to advocating for fair and sustainable school finance reform so our community receives its fair share of state funding and every dollar directly supports students and classrooms.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials must approach their leadership role as service, never putting personal or political agenda above the public interest. They must be honest, open, objective, and willing to learn. They must listen to all constituents, not only those who elected them or who they agree with. They must listen with an intent to understand. They must learn to trust and build trust.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Robin Wall Kimmerer's "The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World," is a short but beautiful book. The author invites readers to envision a hopeful future of abundance, generosity, gratitude and community-based reciprocity.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

As an elected community representative, school board members must ensure alignment with state law and community values through the hiring of the superintendent, district policies, and budget prioritization. Their focus should be on the Ends, the "why," not the Means, or "how."

Who are your constituents?

All residents of Academy District 20.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would propose targeted policy amendments, still within the boundaries of policy governance, that make teacher compensation, retention, and support measurable, transparent, and enforceable. I would also propose policy amendments to increase meeting accessibility and transparency, enabling parents, the community, and stakeholders to have more of a voice in district policy.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Kay Esmiol, Fmr. D20 Teacher, D20 Hall of Excellence; Doug Lundberg, Fmr. D20 School Board President, Retired Teacher; Ret. Col. William Rohlman, Fmr. D20 Parent, USAFA Distinguished Grad.; Jude Malloy, Fmr. D20 Teacher, D20 Grandparent; Bill Shell, Fmr. D20 principal and D20 Hall of Excellence; Karla Powers, Fmr. School in The Woods; Ross MacAskill, Fmr. D20 principal and D20 Hall of Excellence; Jackie Walsh, Teacher of the Year 2023, Pine Creek HS; Ret. Col. Don Knight, Fmr. COS City Council Rep for District 1; Veronica Baker, D20 Parent; Sarah Emery, D20 Parent, PTO Pres.; Kay Jones-Hutchins, Fmr. SPED Resource Para., D20 Parent; Kay McCormack, Fmr. D20 Teacher; Kim Miller, D20 Resident, Fmr. Teacher; Linda Hays Fmr. D20 Admin.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

As a parent and aunt to students currently in the district, and also as a regular volunteer, I connect with parents often. I also see what concerns they share online. Parents are busy; their concerns are varied and real; and they want the best for their children. We need to reduce the communication clutter so parents can break through the noise. If we want them engaged, meetings need to be at times when most can attend. If we have meetings to listen, they need to be able to actually share. If we want parents to understand the whys, such as why the board does not respond to emails, then we must share the information. It should be easy to understand what is being discussed at meetings. Parents are education partners; we must treat them as such.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

There are many accomplishments I am proud of: learning to compensate for my dyslexia and tutoring many students over the years; landing my first design job at 18; earning a 4.0 and keeping faith when my father was dying of cancer; being the youngest represented artist in a gallery; becoming a creative director at 22; designing renowned projects across college campuses, cities, parks, and resorts; building and leading a team; becoming a professor at 30; persisting through a major injury and finding peace in accepting that it has ended my professional career. But of all the things, I am most proud of my child. It is an honor to help him grow and become more who he already is. I am resilient. But I am also hopeful, and to be hopeful is sometimes quite an accomplishment.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Academy School District 20 school board, At-large

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 12, 2025

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 12, 2025

[1]

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Renée Ludlam

Contents

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Academy School District 20 school board, At-large (3 seats)

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

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