Colorado Rep. Millie Hamner named 2018 commencement speaker

Hamner represents House District 61 at the Colorado Legislature, which includes Pitkin, Lake and Summit counties and parts of Delta and Gunnison counties. She currently serves as chairwoman of the Joint Budget Committee, a six-member group charged with drafting the state’s annual budget bill. The 2018-19 budget cycle will be her second stint leading the committee.

“I’m honored to have been invited to speak to the graduates at Western and look forward to celebrating their achievements,” Hamner said.

Before being appointed to the JBC in fall of 2014, Hamner served as chairwoman of the House Education Committee. She has continued to be very involved in education policy, carrying various pieces of education and school finance-related legislation, and currently serves on the Education Leadership Council and the Interim Committee on School Finance. Her passion for education stems from over 32 years of work as a teacher and administrator in Eagle and Summit counties, including seven years as Superintendent of Summit School District.

Hamner fell in love with Colorado as a teenager while on a family trip to Telluride. From then on, her life goal was to become a teacher and move here. When she is not hard at work at the Legislature, she and her husband Rich spend much of their time enjoying the outdoors, both within her district and throughout the rest of Colorado. She maintains, however, that House District 61 is the most beautiful district in the state.

Hamner earned her Ph.D. in curriculum and leadership from the University of Denver in 1996. As an adjunct professor at both Adams State College and the University of Denver, she was involved in the planning and delivery of advanced degree programs for teachers and school administrators throughout Colorado.

Story by Bryan Boyle, Marketing Communications. Photo by Taylor Cull.