Dr. Chelsea Toner enters her third year with the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps, returning as a Color Guard Caption Head for the 2026 season after serving as Co-Caption Head in 2024 and Caption Head in 2025. A dedicated educator, Chelsea brings over a decade of performance and instructional experience to every team she leads.

Chelsea’s color guard journey began in 2008 with ATX Winterguard (Independent A, 2008–2015) and on the field with the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps (2011–2014). Since aging out, she has worked with numerous Texas scholastic programs, including McNeil High School (2013–2019) and Cedar Ridge High School (2017–2018). She also returns for her 8th year as a technician with Origins Performing Arts, contributing a blend of technique, musicality, and artistry.

Off the field, Chelsea is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the University of Colorado Boulder’s Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) Department, where she teaches Cellular Biology to upper-division undergraduates. A proud Texas State University alumna, she holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and Microbiology and completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at CU Boulder in Spring 2024.

During her doctoral studies, Chelsea co-founded S.C.O.P.E. (Science Community Outreach Program and Education), an initiative bringing science to underrepresented middle schools in the Boulder, CO area. She helped establish a board of directors to expand leadership opportunities, curriculum, and funding; laying a foundation for lasting community engagement. She continues this mission through MCDB student organizations and a teaching consortium focused on course-based undergraduate research experiences.

When she isn’t teaching guard or mentoring students, Chelsea enjoys Colorado life with her newly engaged fiancé and dogs—hiking, playing disc golf, and rollerblading—and unwinding with games and new TV series. She’s energized for the 2026 season and can't wait to get started!