ALAMOSA  – Colorado Governor Jared Polis has appointed Arthur M. Ortegon (photo above) and Amanda DeLaRosa (photo below) to serve on the Adams State University Board of Trustees. Their terms will expire on December 31, 2024. They will replace Reeves Brown and Wendell Pryor, whose terms ended in December, 2020. Pam Bricker was reappointed to the board.

Ortegon, Castle Rock, Colo., is a partner with the Law Firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP (WBK) Partner. With a decade of public sector experience, he received professional political appointments in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Denver, Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Governor’s Office, and the White House. Early in his career, Ortegon was a judicial law clerk for Justice Nathan “Ben” Coats of the Colorado Supreme Court and served as a Congressional Relations Assistant in the General Services Administration under President George W. Bush.

“I am extremely honored to be appointed to the Adams State University Board of Trustees,” said Ortegon. “As a native of Southern Colorado and raised in a household led by two naturalized immigrants who placed a strong emphasis on education, ASU’s vision to become the ‘choice for diverse, historically underserved groups and all who value quality education and inclusivity’ speaks directly to who and what I am. I look forward to working with the rest of the Board to provide higher education opportunities for those in remote and rural areas of our great state. I would also like to thank Governor Polis for this incredible opportunity.”

Ortegon received his J.D. from Washington College of Law at American University and a B.A. in political science and psychology from University of Pennsylvania.

DeLaRosa, Denver, Colo., is a strategy officer for state policy at Lumina Foundation, an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. Working from offices in Denver, DeLaRosa supports states’ efforts to increase education attainment and eliminate racial disparities through the implementation of Lumina’s state policy agenda.

“We know Adams plays an integral role in unlocking opportunity not only for its diverse and talented students, but also for the Alamosa community, the San Luis Valley and the entire state of Colorado.

I look forward to partnering with President Lovell and the Board of Trustees in sharing ASU’s powerful success story.”

Before joining Lumina, DeLaRosa was chief of staff at the Colorado Department of Higher Education, where she served three SHEEOs and directed the division in charge of legislative affairs, communications, and equity initiatives. She led Colorado’s Talent, Innovation, and Equity grant work.

DeLaRosa’s career has focused on advancing multistate policy solutions to student success and educational equity, including in her previous roles as a policy specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures, policy and advocacy manager at Scholarship America, and legislative director at the University of California Student Association.

A first-generation college graduate, DeLaRosa earned a bachelor’s degree in politics and sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado, Denver

The Adams State University Board of Trustees consists of nine voting members appointed by the governor with the consent of the state Senate, and two non-voting members elected by the faculty and the students, respectively. The two current non-voting members are Penny Sanders, Ed.D. ASU faculty trustee, and Courtney Hocking, ASU student trustee.