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Commissioners
For contact information, please visit the higher education directory
James T. Polsfut (Chair)
Arvada, CO
Mr. Polsfut serves as the president of the Cordillera Foundation, a 25-year-old 501c3 organization devoted to international grant-making to Mexico. Previously, he was the chairman of Cordillera Asset Management and a general manager of GE Capital in Mexico and in the United States. Mr. Polsfut earned an undergraduate degree in government from Harvard University in 1983 and an MBA from Stanford University in 1989. He was named an American Marshall Memorial fellow in 1999 and was an International Rotary Foundation fellow in Costa Rica in 1984. He also serves on the board of the University of Denver Social Science Foundation and the Child and Family Development Committee of the Rose Community Foundation and as a continuing elder of the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church.
In November of 2007, Mr. Polsfut ended two years of service as one of two founding co-chairs of Denver’s Road Home, a $50 million plan organized in metro-Denver to combat homelessness over a ten-year period. Previously, he served as chairman of the board of the Urban Peak shelter for homeless and runaway youth and as chair of the Governor’s Council on Housing and the Homeless. His community involvement also includes service as treasurer of the Mi Casa Resource Center for Women and as a board member of Open World Learning, the New America High School, the Latin American Educational Foundation, and the Arvada Council for the Arts and Humanities, among other organizations.
Previously, Mr. Polsfut served as chairman of the board of the Urban Peak shelter for homeless and runaway youth and as chair of the Governor's Council on Housing and the Homeless. He also served as treasurer of the Mi Casa Resource Center for Women and as a board member of the Latin American Educational Foundation, the Arvada Council for the Arts and Humanities, and Special Olympics Mexico, among other organizations. Mr. Polsfut lives in the town where he was raised, Arvada, Colorado, and has one son, Javier. Mr. Polsfut will serve through June 2011 as a Democrat and a representative of the 7th Congressional District.
Hereford Percy (Vice Chair)
Arvada, CO
Hereford Percy retired in 2006 as President of FirstBank North, a position he held since 1986. He is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and a graduate of Louisiana State University. He has served on numerous boards including the Jefferson County Board of Education, the Independent Bankers of Colorado, Arvada Economic Development Association, Duncan Family YMCA, Westminster Building Authority, Adams District 50 Education Foundation, the Longmont Symphony and the North Metro Arts Alliance. Mr. Percy and his wife, Joanie, have three children and have been residents of Arvada since 1987. Mr. Percy will serve through June 2012 as a Republican resident of the 7th Congressional District.
Larry B. Beckner
Grand Junction, CO
Larry Beckner is a partner in the law firm of Beckner, Achziger, Shaver & Stanley, LLC in Grand Junction, CO. He was born in Denver, and his family moved to Grand Junction in 1951. He received his undergraduate degree in education from the University of Colorado and taught junior high in Grand Junction before enrolling in law school at the University of Puget sound in Tacoma Washington. He is past president of the Mesa County Bar Association and has served on numerous boards, including the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, the University of Colorado Committee on Strategic Planning "Flagship 2030," the Judicial retention Commission - 21st Judicial district and the Mesa County United Way. He currently serves as a member of the Colorado Board of Law Examiners. He and his wife, Winona, have three children and three grandchildren. Mr. Beckner will serve through June 2011 as a Republican from the 3rd Congressional District.
Jill L. Brake
Pueblo, CO
Ms. Brake is the Director of Thatcher Learning Center, a child care center for employees of Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, CO. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from The University of Southern Colorado, now Colorado State University-Pueblo. All of her career and volunteer work has concentrated on children and education, “Kids are my Business." She has served on numerous local, state and national boards including President of Swallows Charter Academy, a K-8 Core Knowledge school, President of Pueblo School District 70 Education Foundation, Pueblo Work Link Board, and Colorado Bright Beginnings (Denver). Ms. Brake served as an elected member of Pueblo School District 70 Board of Education from 1997-2005. She served on the Colorado Association of School Boards from 1997-2006 and she was President in 2001. She served on the National School Board Association representing 95,000 school board members from 2003-2006. Ms. Brake enjoys fly-fishing, camping and riding ATV's. Ms. Brake is also an award winning artist and her paintings and murals are exhibited at local Pueblo restaurants and businesses. Ms. Brake will serve through June 2011 as a Democrat from the 3rd Congressional District.
David L. Edwards
Ft. Collins, CO
Dave Edwards has been a long time community volunteer. He has a background in real estate, commercial banking and small business. He is a 1972 graduate of Colorado State University. Previously he served on Ft. Collins’ Planning and Zoning Board and then City Council. He is a past Chair of the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado and founder of UniverCity Connections, an initiative to strengthen the connections between CSU’s campus, OldTown Ft. Collins and the Poudre River. Mr. Edwards is a member of the executive committee of Homeward 2020, an effort to end homelessness in Ft. Collins by 2020 and a board member of Embrace Northern Colorado, a non profit engaged in creating a regional vision for Northern Colorado. He and his wife, Paula, are members of the Campaign Leadership Council for CSU’s capital campaign and Dave is Chair of the Development Council for the College of Liberal Arts. Paula is a Colorado native and graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. They raised a daughter, who is an emergency room nurse in Massachusetts and a son, who resides in Moscow, Russia and owns the Papa John’s Pizza franchise for the country. Mr. Edwards was appointed to the Commission by Governor Ritter on November 20, 2009 and will serve through June 2013 as an unaffiliated resident of the 4th Congressional District.
Happy Haynes
Denver, CO
Ms. Allegra ”Happy” Haynes is Assistant to the Superintendent for Community Partnerships with Denver Public Schools. She is a Denver native and her nickname is derived from the Spanish translation of her first name, Allegra. She attended Denver Public Schools and received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Barnard College at Columbia University and a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the University of Colorado at Denver. Within a career spanning 30 years in state and local government, Ms. Haynes served 13 years on the Denver City Council from 1990 – 2003 and was President from 1998 - 2000. She serves on the boards of the Colorado Children’s Campaign, the Stapleton Development Corporation and Foundation, Future Black Women Leaders of Colorado and the Greenprint Denver Council. Ms. Haynes was a founding board member of the Mile High Youth Corps and the Foundation for Education Excellence and served on the Colorado State Parks Board, the Colorado Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Denver Welfare Reform Board. Ms. Haynes will serve through June 2012 as a Democratic resident of the 1st Congressional District.
Patricia L. Pacey
Boulder, CO
Dr. Patricia Pacey is frequently called upon to assess economic issues for personal injury, employment termination, business litigation, and antitrust matters, and to conduct studies for government agencies and corporations. She has previously been involved in telecommunications, cable television, public utilities, and sports markets industry studies. In more recent years, Dr. Pacey has been regularly retained by the Office of the State Auditor and the Colorado Legislative Council to provide performance audits and economic modeling projects. Dr. Pacey graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from the University of Florida and went on to receive her Ph.D., also with honors, in economics from the same institution. She was an analyst for the Congressional Budget Office in Washington D.C. and an economics professor at the University of Colorado. Dr. Pacey is a member of national and regional economic associations. She has published articles in various economic and business journals. In addition, Dr. Pacey recently served on the Commission to Strengthen & Secure PERA formed by the Colorado State Treasurer. Dr. Pacey will serve through June 2011 as a Democrat representing the 2nd Congressional District and resides in Boulder, Colorado.
Mike Plachy
Centennial, CO
Mike Plachy is a partner in the law firm of Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP. He is a Colorado native whose family has a long history in public higher education in the state. He attended Denver Public Schools, graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Colorado School of Law. He is a founder and organizer of the Race for Research, a charitable event which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the University of Colorado Cancer Center. He has served on the University of Colorado Cancer Center Community Advisory Board. He currently serves on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the 18th Judicial District of Colorado. Mr. Plachy lives in Centennial, Colorado, with his wife and three daughters. Upon Senate confirmation, Mr. Plachy will serve through June 2011 as an unaffiliated resident of the 6th Congressional District.
Regina M. Rodriguez
Denver, CO
Ms. Regina “Gina” Rodriguez is a partner with the law firm of Faegre & Benson LLP. Her practice focuses on complex civil litigation including defense of products liability claims, health care False Claims Act cases and the conduct of internal investigations. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Rodriguez was the chief of the Civil Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. Ms. Rodriguez is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law. In addition to her legal career, Ms. Rodriguez has long been an active member of the community and an advocate for children and education. Ms. Rodriguez was a founding member of Colorado Youth at Risk and served for many years on the Board of Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives. She is currently a member of the Board of Family Star Montessori and Early Head Start. Born in Gunnison, Colorado, Ms. Rodriguez is a Colorado native. She currently resides in Denver with her husband and 2 children. Ms. Rodriguez was appointed to the Commission by Governor Ritter on November 20, 2009 and will serve through June 2013 as a Democratic resident of the 7th Congressional District.
B J Scott
Colorado Springs, CO
Ms. Scott is the President & CEO of Peak Vista Community Health Centers in Colorado Springs and Executive Director of the Peak Vista Community Health Centers Foundation. Peak Vista is a private non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center that has been in existence since 1971 and serves over 50,000 members of working families with primary outpatient medical, dental and behavioral healthcare services. The Foundation was formed in 2005 and is operated exclusively for charitable purposes to benefit Peak Vista’s twelve health centers located at nine sites throughout the Pikes Peak Region. Ms. Scott has extensive experience in community relationship building, strategic planning, community collaborations, leadership development, adult training, customer service, and fundraising. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the: Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce; Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families; Community Health Partnership; and the Colorado Community Health Network, where she also serves as chair of its Public Affairs Committee. She served as co-chair of the Provider Panel of Colorado’s 2008 Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare Reform and is active on healthcare issues at the national level through the National Association of Community Health Centers, currently chairing the Healthcare Policy Subcommittee on Elderly Issues. The direct correlation between education and better health outcomes was a key factor in her decision to accept her appointment to the Commission on Higher Education. Ms Scott lives in Colorado Springs and will serve through June 2012 as a Republican resident of the 5th Congressional District.
Greg C. Stevinson
Littleton, CO
President of Denver West Reality, Inc. and President of Denver West Management, Inc. Mr. Stevinson is in partnership with Mills Corp, and designed and built the Denver West Village retail center. He is actively involved in community and organization activities including Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee, and is a former Chairman of the Board of Craig Hospital, a member of the board of Red Rocks Community College Foundation and the West Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Stevinson graduated from Regis College. He will serve through June 2011 as a Republican resident of the 6th congressional District.
