![Alumni Profile - Garrett Barter, Class of 1998]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1675966374/denverjdsorg/qwvlkn9svcgkuz9exnod/GarrettBarterblogheader.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1675966374/denverjdsorg/qwvlkn9svcgkuz9exnod/GarrettBarterblogheader.jpg","width":361}])
- Alumni
By the DJDS Marketing Department
For Garrett Barter, a Denver JDS graduate of the class of 1998, and parent of two Denver JDS students, success in his professional life started with the foundations he built at Denver JDS. He feels two factors set the school apart from others: the amazing community and the critical thinking skills students develop to form their own opinions. Garrett feels the small, supportive community helped prepare him for college and also taught him valuable leadership skills. He appreciates that students are encouraged to see from several perspectives and viewpoints, and each person’s unique path is respected.
After graduating from Denver JDS, Garrett went on to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thriving in the unique community there and ultimately earning his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. After a short stint in the San Francisco Bay area with Sandia National Laboratories, Garret and his family were drawn back to Denver. Today he is reinvigorated and reconnected to the national service mission of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL.
Garrett serves as Group Manager for Wind Energy Science, a group comprised of 30 researchers that use high-performance computing and modeling to understand complex environments and wind turbine behavior. NREL works with turbine manufacturers and wind farm developers to turn research into reality, and ultimately deploy more wind energy at a lower cost to consumers.
He feels there is a strong connection between his Denver JDS education and his life in college and beyond. “Denver JDS taught me to consider how we give back to the community and the broader world. Today I work in renewable energy as part of my commitment to make the world a better place.”
For Garrett and his wife, Elke, who is also an alum, it was “a no-brainer that we send our kids to Denver JDS.” In addition to the intergenerational relationships, academic, and social support, they wanted a Jewish day school for their kids. “We value the family feel and we’re confident this school will help our kids to be good, upstanding community members.”