DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter has appointed Thomas Farley, lawyer and
public servant from Pueblo, Colo., and Patrick McConathy, a rancher
from McCoy, Colo., to the Board of Governors of the Colorado State
University System.
The nine-member board had appointed McConathy in November to the
position held by Jeff Shoemaker of Denver, who resigned last year.
Board members are typically appointed by the governor, but the board
can fill vacancies that occur mid-term. The Governor's appointment
enables McConathy to serve a full term.
"Patrick and Tom have been stalwart public servants in their
communities and for the state. Their experience will be a great value
to the Colorado State University System and the state of Colorado,"
said Douglas L. Jones, board chairman. "We are pleased to have them
serve full terms on the board to help the CSU System reach new levels
of success."
"The tremendous experience that Patrick and Tom have in the political
arena and as business and community leaders in southern and western
Colorado will complement Colorado State's land-grant mission to serve
the needs of rural, urban, and suburban communities across our state,"
added Larry Edward Penley, chancellor of the Colorado State University
System. "We welcome them to the board."
Farley, a former state Representative in Pueblo from 1967-1975, is an
attorney and senior partner in Petersen & Fonda in Pueblo who
specializes in education and health care law. While in the state
Legislature, he served as House Minority Leader. He is a past member
and president of the CSU System Board of Governors and the board for
Fort Lewis College, once known collectively as the State Board of
Agriculture.
He also has served as Community Advisory Director for the Wells Fargo
Bank of Pueblo and on boards of the Colorado Forum, Public Service Co.
of Colorado, Health Net, Inc., and Colorado Public Radio. He has been
a commissioner for the Colorado
Division of Wildlife and served as a trustee for the Great Outdoors
Colorado Trust Fund and the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo Foundation. He
is currently a regent at Santa Clara University.
Among Farley's many honors are membership in the Pueblo Hall of Fame
and Distinguished Service Awards from the University of Colorado and
the then-University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo). Sierra Club
awarded him the honor of "Foremost Among Fifty" in 1978. He is a
graduate of Santa Clara University and the University of Colorado
School of Law.
McConathy has spent most of his career in the oil and gas industry. He
began working as a petroleum landman for the Placid Oil Co. in
Shreveport, La., before starting McConathy Production Co., which
operated wells in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Wyoming. He
later purchased additional wells in those states under the name
Phoenix Oil and Gas. In 2000, Phoenix, Yarmony Creek Oil and Gas and
partner Castle Peak Resources began acquiring and operating oil and
gas properties in California.
McConathy's numerous community activities in McCoy and nearby Vail
include serving as member and chairman of the Vail Mountain School
Board of Trustees and in the Leadership Circle of U.S. Sen. Ken
Salazar. He was a member and chairman of the Long Range Planning
Committee of Trinity Church in Edwards and co-founded a spiritual-
based retreat for men at his Yarmony Creek Lodge in McCoy.
In Louisiana, McConathy served as chairman of United Way for northwest
Louisiana and chairman of Congressman Buddy Roemer's successful
campaign for governor in 1987. He also served as the chairman of the
economic development of Northwest Louisiana. McConathy has led several
capital campaigns for non-profits and schools. He earned his
bachelor's in political science from Louisiana State University in 1975.
The Board of Governors consists of 13 members, nine of which are
voting members. The remaining members represent the component
universities of the Colorado State University System with one faculty
member and one student leader from each campus.
Colorado State University's two campuses, in Fort Collins and Pueblo,
attract about 27,000 new and returning scholars annually. Highly
skilled graduates number more than 6,500 a year, and more than 150,000
alumni live throughout the state, nation and world. As part of its
mission as a land-grant university, CSU Extension has offices in 59 of
64 Colorado counties and delivers research-based information and
educational programs. CSU is home to several top centers and programs,
including the veterinary medicine program, which is ranked No. two in
the country by U.S. News and World Report and is ranked first in the
country in federal research dollars. CSU's annual research
expenditures totaled a record $296 million in fiscal year 2007.
