Gov. Polis submits multiple appointments and reappointments to Senate

The Colorado Senate received a message from Gov. Jared Polis on Jan. 20, 2026, transmitting a series of appointments and reappointments to state boards and commissions. The reading clerk read appointee names, the positions they were nominated for, and term-expiration dates for each slot.

The nominations included appointments and reappointments to the Groundwater Commission (e.g., Mark Arnusch of Kingsburg; David Keeler of Ray; Clay Kinison of Grover), the Colorado Agricultural Development Authority (Hannah Danelle Wilkes of Arvada), the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp Committee (David Gottenborg of Jefferson; Steven Woodis of Montrose), the State Board of Stock Inspection Commissioners (Laureen Francis Bonds of Durango; Jody Martin Witt of Mead), the State Board of Land Commissioners (Deborah Frobe of Denver), the Colorado Tourism Board (Liz Agoston of Tabernash; Megan Lethem of Colorado Springs; George Karayyanakis of Denver; Lisa Boyer of Denver), the Colorado water resources and power development authority (Roy Hill of Colorado Springs; Karen Wagsland of Steamboat Springs), the Orphan Well Mitigation Enterprise Board (Christopher Simmons of Denver), and members of the Community Access Enterprise and other boards. The reading clerk concluded the message with the governor's signature line, "Sincerely, Jared Polis."

Why it matters: These appointments place named individuals in advisory or decision-making roles across resource, agricultural, tourism, and energy matters in Colorado. Boards named in the message advise or make decisions that can affect state programs, grant eligibility, and regulatory actions in their subject areas.

Next steps: The message was transmitted to the Senate; the transcript does not record committee referral, confirmation hearings, or roll-call actions on these nominations during this session.

The Senate completed additional announcements and adjourned after handling procedural business.