Noelle Nelson and Brett Burk

Noelle Nelson serves as Executive Director of Avenue Scholars Des Moines. Noelle spent the past 23 years serving as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, administrator and most recently as Executive Director of Leadership and Learning for Des Moines Public Schools. She is passionate about equity of access for all scholars and has committed her career to removing barriers for our most marginalized groups.

Brett Burk is Business Outreach Coordinator. His core belief is that nurturing connections and shared values within communities leads to transformative outcomes for all. He has a decade of community engagement and English as a second language instruction experience. Brett is constantly motivated to understand the needs of students in the pursuit of creating more inviting and engaging spaces for them to grow. Brett is a first-gen college graduate, local civil and human rights commissioner and grassroots community leadership advocate.