Montera reelected to Board of Regents; Hood, Scott win races for open seats
Board of Regents Vice Chair Ken Montera was reelected Nov. 5 to his seat in District 5. Last week’s elections also saw voters statewide choosing Elliott Hood to serve as the at-large member of the board, while Ray Scott was the victor in the 3rd Congressional District. Their six-year terms begin in January.
Ken Montera, R-Colorado Springs, has represented the 5th Congressional District since being appointed to the board by Gov. Jared Polis in December 2021; voters returned him to the board in 2022.
Since becoming a regent, Montera has been elected vice chair unanimously three times. He also serves as chair of the Investment Advisory Committee and vice chair of the Regents Finance and University Affairs committees. A Pueblo native and graduate of the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business, Montera spent over 30 years as a senior executive in four Fortune 200 companies leading strategy, multi-billion-dollar budgets and direct responsibility for over 40,000 associates.
According to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s office, as of Wednesday, Montera had 203,054 votes against 141,709 votes for challenger Axel Brown, D-Colorado Springs.
Elliott Hood, D-Boulder, is an education attorney who advocates for schools and educators across the state. A CU Boulder alumnus, he previously worked as a teacher, then as an education nonprofit director. Hood also has served on and helped lead public and nonprofit boards.
As of Wednesday, Hood had 1.46 million votes against 1.35 million votes for challenger Eric Rinard, R-Fort Lupton, in the statewide race.
Hood will succeed Regent Lesley Smith, D-Boulder, who did not run for a second term as regent at large; she won election last week in Colorado’s House District 49.
Regent Glen Gallegos, R-Grand Junction, has represented the state’s 3rd Congressional District since 2013 and is term limited.
Succeeding Gallegos is Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction, who served in the Colorado legislature from 2011 to 2023. Born in Ohio, he grew up in Rifle, Colorado, where he worked on farms and ranches with his family. His career began in the energy sector in Colorado and New Mexico. He later founded several businesses in the energy sector, land development, logistics, sports, software and construction. He currently serves as president of the Adams County-based Industrial Property Owners Consortium, where he oversees all operations.
As of Wednesday, Scott had 209,206 votes against 158,185 votes for challenger Robert Logan, D-Durango.
Regents are elected to six-year terms, which are staggered. Eight of the nine seats are assigned to Colorado’s congressional districts; the final at-large seat is elected by voters statewide.
In making their choices, Colorado voters returned a 5-4 Democratic majority to the Board of Regents. The winners of last week’s regent elections are scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 7, 2025, at CU Denver.