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Leadership

 

David SkaggsDavid E. Skaggs
Executive Director
Niwot, CO

David Skaggs is Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). He was nominated by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. on January 9, 2007, and was unanimously confirmed by the Colorado Senate on January 11, 2007. The Department has coordinating and oversight authority for all Colorado’s public institutions of post-secondary education, licenses and regulates private occupational schools, and manages the state’s student loan program and tax-exempt tuition savings plans.

Prior to his position at CDHE, Mr. Skaggs was executive director of the Center for Democracy & Citizenship at the Council for Excellence in Government and Of Counsel to the Washington-based law firm of Hogan & Hartson.  He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado (1999-2002).  These positions followed twelve years in Congress (1987-99) as U.S. Representative from the 2nd Congressional District of Colorado (the northwestern Denver suburbs) and three terms in the Colorado House (1981-87), the last two terms as Minority Leader.

The Center for Democracy & Citizenship worked to strengthen American representative democracy through several projects and activities, including the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools (www.civicmissionofschools.org), the Congress to Campus Program, the Campaign for Young Voters, redistricting reform and lobbying reform.

Mr. Skaggs served on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Prior to joining the Appropriations Committee, he was a member of the (then) Public Works & Transportation Committee and the Science, Space & Technology Committee.  During his time on the Hill, Mr. Skaggs was a leader in efforts to improve the House of Representatives.  He was the founding co-chairman with Congressman Ray LaHood (R-Illinois) of the House Bipartisan Retreat, the first such meeting in history, held in March, 1997, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.  He was also co-founder with Representative Jim Leach (R-Iowa) of the Constitutional Forum, a series of seminars with distinguished guest lecturers who led Member discussions of constitutional issues.  During the 104th Congress, Mr. Skaggs was Chairman of the Democratic Study Group, the principal policy and reform organization of House Democrats.

After earning a B.A. in philosophy from Wesleyan University in 1964, Mr. Skaggs received an LL.B. at the Yale Law School in 1967.  He served on active duty in the U. S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1971, with assignments on Okinawa, in Vietnam, and at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, and with a Marine Reserve unit in Colorado, attaining the rank of Major. 

He serves as Vice-Chair of the U. S. Public Interest Declassification Board, on the board of trustees of Dēmos, a research and advocacy organization, on the Advisory Council of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and on the Steering Committee of the East West Parliamentary Practice Project.

 

Julie CarnahanJulie Carnahan
Chief Academic Officer, Chief Information Officer, Director of Research & Information Management
Boulder, CO

Dr. Julie Carnahan is the Chief Academic Officer for the Department of Higher Education.  Prior to her appointment as Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Carnahan was the Department’s Director of Research and Information Management and the Chief Information Officer, positions she has held since 2003. 

Prior to her work at the Department, Dr. Carnahan held numerous positions at academic institutions both as faculty and in administrative positions. She began her career in 1982 at the University of Alaska where she was an assistant professor of sociology and the executive assistant to the Chancellor. In 1987, she came to the University of Colorado at Denver and held several different positions over ten years, including graduate school professor of public policy and organizational management and the assistant vice chancellor for planning and information management.  

Dr. Carnahan has held leadership positions in the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), where she was the Mountain representative, and in the Association for Institutional Research, (AIR) as Track Forum Chair. 

Dr. Carnahan received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.  She received her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Michigan. 

When she is not working on higher education issues, Dr. Carnahan is most likely running in the Colorado mountains with William and Seamus….

 

 

Diane LindnerDiane Lindner
Chief Financial Officer
Denver, CO

Diane Lindner received a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado. Ms. Lindner currently serves at the Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Higher Education in Denver, Colorado.  Her areas of oversight include budgeting, capital construction financing, accounting, finance policy, financial aid and program auditing.

As Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Lindner coordinates budget and finance policy for the Department of Higher Education, developing annual budgets, providing recommendations on finance policies and procedures in cooperation with the institutions, governor’s office and legislature.  She has also participated in policy development for implementing new funding mechanisms including the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend and fee-for service contracts.  Ms. Lindner is also in charge of analyzing data regarding higher education funding in other states related to Colorado and providing alternatives and recommendations on funding changes.  She has been heavily involved in the recent NCHEMS study that compared Colorado revenues for higher education with peers in other states. 

Prior to that, Ms. Lindner was the Director of Finance, Planning and Information Technology at Dane County Human Services for ten years.  Dane County is the county including and surrounding Madison, Wisconsin.  Her expertise extends to K-12 budgeting and finance as she served as the Budget Director for the Colorado Department of Education and as a financial analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

 

Inta MorrisInta Morris
Assistant Director for Interdepartmental Affairs
Denver, CO

Inta Morris is the Assistant Director for Interdepartmental and External Affairs for the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Before joining the Department in July 2007, she served as Academic and Political Affairs Officer for the Canadian Consulate General in Denver, Colorado. In that position, she developed advocacy programs and strategies for advancing Canada’s positions with the political and academic communities in the Rocky Mountain region.

Previously, Ms. Morris served as Vice President of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, a nongovernmental organization focused on fostering ties between the scientific and academic communities of the United States and countries of the former Soviet Union.  Prior to that position, she served as director of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academy of Sciences and she worked in the International Affairs office of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences (now National Academies).  She began her career working for Congressman David Skaggs, first as a member of his campaign staff and then as a legislative assistant in his congressional office.

Ms. Morris received her Masters degree from George Washington University and her Bachelors degree from the University of Colorado. She is multi-lingual and has traveled extensively in Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union, Asia and Africa. Ms. Morris is married and has two stepdaughters.

 

 

 

©2007-8 State of Colorado, CO