Regents elect new leadership, set committee assignments for coming year
The University of Colorado Board of Regents recently elected members Ken Montera as chair and Callie Rennison as vice chair in a regular leadership election for the coming year. In addition, new regent committee assignments were made.
Regent law dictates that the chair and vice chair role cannot be held by two individuals of the same political party. Regent law also directs that the board leadership elections must occur via secret ballot if regents nominate more than one individual to assume the role of chair and vice chair.
Montera, a Republican representing the 5th Congressional District, served previously as vice chair. He first was appointed to the Board of Regents by Gov. Jared Polis in December 2021, then won election in 2022 for the remainder of the term and for a full term in 2024. Montera spent over 30 years as a senior executive in four Fortune 200 companies leading strategy, multi-billion-dollar budgets, and had direct responsibility for over 40,000 associates. The Pueblo native graduated from CU’s Leeds School of Business in 1979.
“We all know the critical contributions CU makes to the success of individual lives, advancing research and creative endeavors, in health care provision and to our state and national economy,” Montera told the board following his election. “Each one of you understands that impact and feels the weight of ensuring that impact grows through your leadership efforts.”
Rennison, a Democrat representing the 2nd Congressional District, first was elected to the board in 2020 and is a professor emerita and former associate dean of faculty affairs at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. She also served as the director of the Office of Equity and Title IX Coordinator for CU Denver and CU Anschutz.
“I want to celebrate the fact that a strength of our board is that we act in a bipartisan, collaborative way that puts CU’s interests first. We are pragmatic and strive to build bridges to the benefit of CU,” Rennison said. “I’m anxious to keep working for the benefit of all our faculty, staff and students as CU continues to add value to the state of Colorado, our nation and our world.”
The CU Board of Regents consists of nine members serving staggered six-year terms, one elected from each of Colorado’s eight congressional districts and one from the state at large. The board is charged constitutionally with the general supervision of the university and the exclusive control and direction of all funds of and appropriations to the university, unless otherwise provided by law.
Regent committees are the starting point for policy debate before being considered by the full board. Here’s a look at new committee assignments for 2026:
Governance Committee
Elliott Hood, chair; Frank McNulty, vice chair; Ray Scott, Callie Rennison
Finance Committee
Nolbert Chavez, chair; Ray Scott, vice chair; Ilana Dubin Spiegel, Ken Montera
University Affairs Committee
Mark VanDriel, chair; Ilana Dubin Spiegel, vice chair; Elliott Hood, Frank McNulty
Audit Committee
Frank McNulty, chair; Callie Rennison, vice chair; Mark VanDriel, Nolbert Chavez
Other committee representation
Regents also serve in liaison roles on the following committees:
Investment Advisory Committee (IAC): Nolbert Chavez
CU Foundation: Ilana Dubin Spiegel
Auraria Board of Directors (AHEC): Callie Rennison
Colorado Trustee Network (CTN): Mark VanDriel