Press Release- Jan 04, 2007
FOR RELEASE:
THURSDAY, JAN. 4, 2007
GOV. RITTER CONTINUES TO ROUND OUT CABINET, NAMES THREE MORE DEPARTMENT HEADS
Gonzales, Henneberry and Sherman nominated to run major agencies
Continuing to round out his Cabinet appointments, Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named three additional executive directors to head the departments of Personnel and Administration, Health Care Policy and Financing, and Natural Resources.
Former Denver Fire Chief Rich Gonzales was selected to lead Personnel and Administration, health-care policy professional Joan Henneberry to oversee HCPF and natural resources expert Harris Sherman to manage DNR. The nominations require Senate confirmation.
"Rich, Joan and Harris will bring a wealth of expertise, strength and energy to the new administration," Ritter said. "Their forward-looking leadership will help us achieve our short- and long-term goals as we strive to fulfill the Colorado Promise."
Gonzales served as Denver's fire chief from 1987 to 2001. He joined the department in 1972, rising through the ranks from firefighter to lieutenant, captain and assistant chief until then-Mayor Federico Pena appointed him chief. He developed the department's first management study, and he holds a bachelor's degree from Regis University and a master's in public administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. Since retiring from the Fire Department, Gonzales has worked as vice president of various divisions of the Mile High United Way.
The Department of Personnel and Administration acts as the business and customer service center of the state. It manages Colorado's 60,000 state employees, all state facilities and real estate. The department's mission is to ensure that all state departments and agencies have the tools they need to serve Colorado.
Henneberry is currently senior vice president of government health services for Policy Studies Inc. She spent seven years (1997-2003) with the non-partisan National Governors Association in Washington, developing an expertise on health care policy. She was director health policy studies for the NGA for 3½ years.
Prior to her NGA tenure, she worked in a number of capacities at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment from 1984 to 1997. She holds a bachelor¿s degree from Blackburn College in Illinois and a master's in management from Regis University.
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing administers the Medicaid program, Child Health Plan Plus and the Colorado Indigent Care Program. The department is also one of the largest purchasers of health care in the state.
"Joan will play a key role in fulfilling a major component of the Colorado Promise: providing all Coloradans with access to some basic form of health-care coverage by 2010," Ritter said, noting that 788,000 Coloradans currently lack health insurance. "We must address cost, quality and access issues in order to fix our broken health-care system and craft a Colorado Health Plan."
Sherman served as executive director of the Department of Natural Resources from 1975 to 1980 under then-Gov. Dick Lamm. He is currently a senior partner with the law firm of Arnold & Porter, practicing primarily in the areas of natural resources, environment, water, land-use and public-land law. He is a Denver Water Board commissioner, National Advisory Board member for the Trust for Public Land and has served as chairman of the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission and Denver Regional Air Quality Council. He holds a bachelor's degree from Colorado College and a law degree from Columbia Law School.
The Department of Natural Resources is charged with developing, protecting and enhancing Colorado's abundant natural resources. Key divisions, boards and commissions within the department include the Division of Wildlife, State Parks, State Land Board, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Division of Water Resources, Water Conservation Board and Geological Survey.
"Coloradans will greatly benefit from Harris- unmatched experience in the field of natural resources and environmental protection," Ritter said. "He truly understands the solemn responsibility that comes with wisely managing our state's precious natural resources and protecting the environment, including our wildnerness areas, wildlife and wildlife habitat, and water supplies. Living up to this responsibility lies at the very heart of fulfilling the Colorado Promise."
Ritter's previous executive director appointments: Karen Beye, Department of Human Services; Don Mares, Department of Labor and Employment; Rico Munn, Department of Regulatory Agencies; David Skaggs, Department of Higher Education; John Stulp, Department of Agriculture; Peter Weir, Department of Public Safety; and Ari Zavaras, Department of Corrections.