Wednesday, November 22, 2006

RITTER ENCOURAGES PUBLIC TO SUBMIT RESUMES


RITTER ENCOURAGES PUBLIC TO SUBMIT RESUMES
 
Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today encouraged the public to submit resumes for any of the nearly 20 Cabinet- and director-level jobs now under consideration by a variety of Transition Advisory Committees.
 
The committees are accepting resumes through Monday Dec. 4. More than 800 applications have been submitted, and Ritter said he welcomes people to get their resumes in as soon as possible.
 
Resumes can be submitted via the www.rittertransition.org website (click on the "apply" button).
 
"We're casting a net that will reach far and wide as we seek the most qualified candidates possible," said Jim Lyons, executive director of Ritter's transition team. "We have a rare opportunity to fulfill the Colorado Promise. We are hopeful that all of our applicants and ultimately the Cabinet will reflect the tremendous diversity of this great state. We want to ensure that everyone who is interested in being considered has a chance to do so."
 
The 18 Transition Advisory Committees that are reviewing applications for Cabinet and director positions began their work on Monday. They are expected to finish by Dec. 15. Their final reports will include a short list of candidates for consideration by Lyons, transition co-chairs Norma Anderson and Daniel Yohannes, and Gov.-elect Ritter.         
 
Members of the public interested in serving on a committee or providing additional input to the transition team are encouraged to e-mail info@rittertransition.org or by calling 303.352.0440.
 

Monday, November 20, 2006

RITTER TRANSITION COMMITTEES BEGIN WORK TODAY


TRANSITION ADVISORY COMMITTEES BEGIN WORK TODAY
 
Hundreds of Community Members to Participate in Review Process
 
Nearly 40 civic leaders convened today for their first meeting as co-chairs of the transition committees that will help Gov.-Elect Bill Ritter analyze the current state of Colorado's governmental agencies and recommend nominees for his Cabinet and other positions.
 
"We have a tremendous amount of work to accomplish over the next few weeks," Ritter said. "I'm grateful to have such a diverse group from Colorado's vital public and private sectors providing this valuable insight and input. All of Colorado will benefit from their investment of time, energy and dedication. This truly is the beginning of how we will build a public trust and govern well."
 
The co-chairs of 18 advisory committees gathered this morning for their first meeting. The individual committees also began meeting today, and each of them will hold at least one session before Thanksgiving. Each advisory committee will be composed of 12 to 20 members, for a combined total that could exceed 300 individuals. Each committee also will be assisted by a volunteer staff member who will serve as a facilitator and discussion leader.
 
"The advisory committees will conduct a thorough review of the designated department or agency," said Jim Lyons, the transition team's executive director. "This will allow the committees to identify both structural and policy issues within each department, and then see how those issues align with the governor-elect's comprehensive 'Colorado Promise' policy agenda."  
 
Another of the committees' top responsibilities will be to identify qualified candidates for Cabinet- and director-level positions within the new administration. More than 700 resumes have been submitted thus far, and the number grows each day.
 
Ritter hopes to have as many members of his Cabinet in place by the Jan. 9 inauguration as possible.
 
Ritter's transition team co-chairs, former state Sen. Norma Anderson and businessman Daniel Yohannes, have asked the advisory committees to conclude their work and present a list of qualified candidates by Dec. 15.
 
"Today's kick-off meeting was a great beginning to this extremely inclusive and bi-partisan phase of fulfilling the Colorado Promise," Anderson and Yohannes said. "Many of the best minds in Colorado are committed to assisting Gov.-Elect Ritter and Lt. Gov.-Elect O'Brien build a Cabinet that will be focused on solving Colorado's problems and tackling issues that matter."
 
Ritter-O'Brien Transition Advisory Committee Co-Chairs
 
Agriculture
Kathleen Kelley, former state lawmaker
John Stulp, former Prowers County commissioner
Volunteer Staff: Rebecca Swanson
 
Corrections
Freddie Alvarez, former Denver District Court judge
Don Quick, 17th Judicial District Attorney
Volunteer Staff: Tim Daly
 
Economic Development and International Trade
Reeves Brown, executive director, Club 20
Robert Cohen, chairman and CEO, IMA Financial Group
Ron Montoya, president and CEO, Plasticomm
Volunteer Staff: Ford Frick
 
Education
Dorothy Horrell, president, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation
Christine Johnson, president, Community College of Denver
Barbara O'Brien, lieutenant-governor elect
Al Yates, former president, Colorado State University
Volunteer Staff: Craig Welling
 
Energy Management and Conservation
Michael Bowman, chair of Colorado's New Energy Future
Patricia Vincent, president and CEO of Xcel Energy's Public Service Co. of Colorado
Volunteer Staff: John Parr
 
Health Care Policy and Finance
Rick May, former president, Colorado Medical Society
Barbara O'Brien, lieutenant-governor elect
Annie Wohlgenant, vice president of philanthropy, Colorado Health Foundation
Volunteer Staff: Edie Sonn
 
Human Services
Barbara McDonnell, executive vice president, Colorado Community College System
Kindra Mulch, administrator, Kit Carson County Health and Human Services
Gloria Tanner, former state senator
Volunteer Staff: Natalie Hyman
 
Information Technology
Rich Baer, executive vice president/general  counsel, Qwest
Cathy Fogler, vice president of video product management, Charter Communications
Volunteer Staff: Mike Dino
 
Labor and Employment
Joseph Garcia, president, Colorado State University at Pueblo
Neal Hall, business manager, Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council
Rosemary Marshall, state representative
Volunteer Staff: Christy Murphy
 
Local Affairs
Marcy Morrison, mayor of Manitou Springs
Rosemary Rodriguez, Denver City Council member
Ken Torres, Las Animas County commissioner
Volunteer Staff: Peter Kenney
 
Military Affairs
Andy Love, major general (retired)
Larry Drake, captain, Marine Corps, 1967-73
Volunteer Staff: Joel Glover
 
Natural Resources
Howard Boigon, partner, Hogan & Hartson LLP
Kathleen Curry, state representative
Volunteer Staff: Andy Spielman
 
Personnel and Administration
Andre Pettigrew, chief operating officer, Denver Public Schools
Wendell Pryor, division director, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies
Volunteer Staff: Scott Martinez
 
Public Health and Environment
Richard Hoffman, former chief medical officer, Colo. Dept. of Public Health and Environment
Jim Martin, executive director, Western Resource Advocates
Volunteer Staff: Mark Messenbaugh
 
Public Safety
Jeanne Smith, former 4th Judicial District Attorney and current deputy attorney general
Larry Trujillo, Denver fire chief
Volunteer Staff: Terri Livermore
 
Regulatory Agencies
Phil Fegin, former Colorado securities commissioner
Gail Klapper, director, Colorado  Forum
Wellington Webb, former mayor of Denver
Volunteer Staff: Ben Kelly
 
Revenue
Carol Hedges, senior fiscal analyst, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute
John Ikard, president, FirstBank
Peggy Reeves, former state senator
Volunteer Staff: Keith Hay
 
Transportation
Bill Kaufman, former state representative and current Colo. Transp. Commissioner
Carla Perez, Carter & Burgess
Volunteer Staff: Lori Fox

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

RITTER ANNOUNCES CHIEF OF STAFF, TWO OTHER SENIOR STAFF MEMBERS


RITTER ANNOUNCES FIRST THREE MEMBERS OF NEW ADMINISTRATION
 
Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today announced the first three senior staff members of his new administration: Jim Carpenter as chief of staff; Mary Kay Hogan as legislative liaison; and Trey Rogers as chief legal counsel.
 
"I'm pleased that these three extremely talented individuals have agreed to join the new administration," Ritter said. "We're putting together a dynamic team that will work tirelessly to fulfill the Colorado Promise and to solve real problems for people and businesses all acrossColorado. This trio will form the backbone of an administration that will be committed to makingColorado a leader in education, health care, jobs and renewable energy." 
 
Carpenter currently serves as the state director for U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, and was the chief of staff at the conclusion of former Gov. Romer's administration.
 
"I am honored and gratified that Gov.-elect Ritter has invited me to serve as his chief of staff," Carpenter said. "I appreciate his confidence and I look forward to doing my part to help fulfill the Colorado Promise."
 
Rogers, currently a partner with Rothgerber Johnson and Lyons, served as the Ritter for Governor campaign attorney and is counsel for the transition team. Hogan provided policy and legislative advice to Ritter during the campaign.
 
Additional biographical information about Carpenter, Hogan and Rogers:
 
Jim Carpenter: Mr. Carpenter, 46, served as press secretary, director of communications and chief of staff for former Gov. Romer. He also was campaign manager and deputy state director for U.S. Sen. and Rep. Tim Wirth, both in Colorado and in Washington, D.C.
 
From 1999 to 2004, Carpenter was director of public affairs for National Jewish Medical Center and Research Center. In March 2004, he left National Jewish to manager Ken Salazar's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate.
 
A Colorado native who grew up in Granby, Carpenter attended Georgetown University before receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He and his wife, Nancy, have two children: Emma, age 16, and Nicholas, age 11.
Mary Kay Hogan: Ms. Hogan, a native of Lakewood, has been lobbying the Colorado Legislature since 1999. Prior to forming the firm of Aponte Hogan and Busam with fellow lobbyist Ruth Aponte, she served as a staff attorney with the Colorado Legislature's nonpartisan Office of Legislative Legal Services, where she worked on tax, transportation and land use legislation.  

As a lobbyist in private practice, she has represented entities such as The Children's Hospital ofDenver, the Colorado Bar Association, the Transplant Council of the Rockies, public school districts in Colorado Springs, and Colorado Counties Inc. During law school, she clerked for the Hon. Judge Gaspar Perricone in the 1st Judicial District.  

Ms. Hogan, 36, earned her BA degree from the University of Arizona in 1992, and her law degree from the University of Denver in 1996. She is married to Matthew Hogan, a partner at the law firm of Sherman and Howard and son of former Colorado Lt. Gov. Mark Hogan.

Thomas M. "Trey" Rogers III: Mr. Rogers, 39, a partner with Rothgerber Johnson and Lyons, has been with the law firm since 1997. He also has eight years of experience as a political and nonprofit fundraiser and fundraising consultant in Colorado, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.

He is admitted to practice in all state courts in Colorado, the U.S. District Court, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Rogers is a graduate of the 2002-03 class of the Denver Metro Chamber Foundation's Leadership Denver Program. He was named one of the Denver Business Journal's "40 under 40" for 2006, and he was listed in the 2007 edition of Best Lawyers in America in the Government Relations Law category.
 
Mr. Rogers earned his BS degree in finance and real estate from the University of Colorado in 1989 and his law degree from George Washington University National Law Center in 1997.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

RITTER NAMES CROWE, KONCILJA AS INAUGURAL CO-CHAIRS


 
RITTER NAMES JAMES CROWE AND FRANCES KONCILJA
AS INAUGURAL COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
 
Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named Level 3 Communications CEO James Crowe and his wife, Pamela, and prominent attorney Frances A. Koncilja as the co-chairs of the Colorado Promise Inaugural Committee.
 
"I'm honored to have such accomplished leaders guiding the inaugural planning process," Ritter said. "The inaugural festivities will be all-inclusive and will mark the beginning of a new era in how we govern this state. I couldn't be more excited."
 
Plans for the Jan.9 inauguration are still underway. Details will be available through a special website, www.coloradopromise.org. The public will be able to purchase tickets and obtain additional information from the website when it is activated in the coming days.
 
While Ms. Koncilja and Mr. and Mrs. Crowe lead the inaugural planning phase, a separate group is guiding Ritter's transition team. The team is co-chaired by Daniel Yohannes and Norma Anderson, with Jim Lyons serving as executive director. Information about the transition can be found at www.rittertransition.org.
 
Biographical information about James Crowe and Frances Koncilja:
 
James Crow: Mr. Crowe, 57, is the chief executive officer of Level 3 Communications Inc., an international communications and information services company. Founded in 1997, Level 3 constructed a 20,000-mile fiber-optic network designed to fully leverage Internet technology. Today, the network serves as one of the largest Internet backbones in the world.
 
Prior to founding Level 3, Mr. Crowe was chief executive officer of MFS Communications, which he built into the largest competitive local exchange carrier operating in the United States andEurope. In 1996, MFS was acquired by WorldCom for $14.3 billion.
 
Mr. Crowe serves on the boards of directors of Level 3 and Commonwealth Telephone. He holds a BS degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MBA fromPepperdine University.
 
Frances A. Koncilja: Ms. Koncilja, a Colorado native who grew up in Pueblo, has been an attorney since 1972. She specializes in commercial litigation after beginning her career as a public defender and a federal prosecutor. She entered private practice in 1978. Ms. Koncilja, 57, established her own law firm, Koncilja & Associates, in 1993; served as president of the Colorado Bar Association in 1994-95; and is a founding member of the Colorado Women's Bar.
 
She serves on Mayor Hickenlooper's Infrastructure Task Force, was co-chair of Denver's Criminal Justice Center Task Force and co-chaired Citizens for Safe Denver. She is president of the City Club of Denver and serves on the boards of Colorado Public Radio and the Gold Crown Foundation.
 
Ms. Koncilja earned her BA degree from the University of Southern Colorado in 1969 at the age of 20 and her law degree from the University of Colorado in 1972.
 
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