Commencement

Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources

Growing up, Dan Gibbs (‘02) split his time between Michigan and Gunnison, where his mother was the principal of elementary schools for Gunnison and Crested Butte. But when the time for college came, he chose his home west of the Continental Divide. “I chose Western because I really wanted a smaller school,” Gibbs said. “I wanted to engage with my professors and classmates and have them get to know me as a person rather than a number.”

While at Western, Gibbs majored in sociology, knowing he wanted to spend his life in public service. But it was his minor in Outdoor Recreation, his involvement in the Western Mountain Rescue Team, and his work as a guide with Outdoor Pursuits that gave a hint of the future. “Being outdoors was everything to me, and the Gunnison and Crested Butte communities had a real imprint on my character and interests,” he said.

In his junior year, Gibbs’ adventurous spirit took him to Europe, where he traveled and studied in Sweden. “At one point, I traveled to Geneva, Switzerland,” he said. “The international atmosphere made a real impression as I learned more about the role of the U.S. in the world,” he said. “That sparked an interest in politics, policy, and community engagement.”

Today, Gibbs serves as the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, where he oversees the state’s management of water, wildlife, state lands, and mineral development, among other things. A dedicated public servant and collaborator, Gibbs has spent his career building partnerships to improve the productivity and success of government operations and services.

Before being appointed to his current position by Governor Jared Polis in 2019, Gibbs held various leadership roles, including serving as a Summit County Commissioner, a member of the Colorado State Senate and House of Representatives, and as a certified wildland firefighter. His hands-on approach to policy has made a lasting impact on the state’s natural landscapes and communities.

“It is a great honor to come back to the school where I studied and have such great memories and long-lasting friendships and relationships,” he said. “It has had a real, positive impact on me, and I always enjoy coming back and seeing how the school has grown. I have studied at both Harvard and Western and would put my education and the quality of professors at Western up against other prestigious universities.”

But the time he spent getting to know those professors as people may have shaped him just as much. It was all part of a one-of-a-kind education in a one-of-a-kind place that helped nudge him in the direction he would eventually go.

“My time at Western gave me the confidence I needed as a person,” he said, “for a career in politics and public policy and eventually to be the leader of a 3,000-person organization.”