Board Member Profiles - Val Flores

Elected to the Colorado State Board of Education in 2015, Dr. Valentina “Val” M. Flores represents Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the City and County of Denver, parts of Jefferson County and Arapahoe County. Dr. Flores’ term will expire in 2021.

Dr. Flores has been intrinsically involved with education in Denver and Colorado as a university professor for 23 years, and an English as a Second Language teacher in Denver Public Schools from 2000 to her retirement in 2009. Since retiring, Flores has served on the Denver Public Schools’ School Improvement and Accountability Council and as a volunteer for the Denver Public Library.

With nearly 50 years in the education field, Flores brings teaching experience in both the K-12 arena and in higher education, as well as offering expertise in education policy. She has been an associate professor or visiting professor at six universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Northern Colorado. Before moving to Colorado in the mid -1990s, Flores helped shape education policy in Texas, serving in various capacities for the Texas Department of Education. She also taught in the Texas K-12 system and at various universities including the University of Texas, Austin; University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Flores also worked for several years with the Educational Testing Service in research, evaluation and measurement.

Dr. Flores earned a B.A. in English and history from the University of Texas-Pan American, and an Ed.D. and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston.

 For additional information, email state.board@cde.state.co.us.