URBINA CONFIRMED AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTThe Senate confirmed Dr. Chris Urbina as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment with a vote of 24 to 9.Urbina, a native of Pueblo, was the director of Denver Public Health at Denver Health, where he was responsible for expanding the reorganization of public health services toward a more community-oriented approach while preserving the outstanding public health clinical services. 

In his new role, Urbina will also serve as the state’s Chief Medical Officer. 

Urbina had worked for Denver Public Health since 2004. While there, he developed close working relationships with many community organizations, City agencies and local leadership in Denver and throughout Colorado. Most notably, he established a strong partnership with Denver Environmental Health to create a functional public health and environmental health department for the City of Denver. 

He is the co-chair of the statewide initiative known as the Colorado Public Health Improvement Plan-From Act to Action. The plan sets the course for the creation of a cohesive public health system in Colorado, engaging rural and urban local public health agencies and the state Department of Public Health and Environment to create a more uniform and effective service model and to use resources efficiently. Urbina’s work on this initiative has led to strong working relationships in all parts of Colorado. 

Urbina earlier worked in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico, holding positions of Associate Chair and Associate Professor. He also worked for the New Mexico Health and Environment Department as a district health officer. 

Urbina continues to teach introductory public health courses at the Colorado School of Public Health and at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the current president of the Colorado Public Health Association and served as a board member for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Denver Metro, the Denver Foundation and at Clinica Tepeyac, in addition to being involved in numerous other local health organizations. 

He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford University and a medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He completed a family practice residency at the University of New Mexico and earned a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Urbina is board certified in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine.

VAN PELT JOINS WESTERN DISPOSALWestern Disposal has announced that Sarah Van Pelt is joining its team as environmental coordinator with a focus on commercial recycling. She comes from the city of Boulder, where she served 14 years, most recently as the special projects coordinator in the local environmental action division.  

Van Pelt brings valuable experience in commercial recycling and compost services, program development and management, business assistance, customer service and marketing. This position will further develop the recycling programs for Western Disposal Services, coordinate the programs so that they are properly implemented, and conduct outreach and education services. She will reach out to Western’s commercial customers who either do not currently recycle to initiate diversion programs or to those who already recycle to expand their recycling and/or composting programs. She will also help develop new commercial recycling services. 

“Sarah will be a great asset to our customers, the community and to Western itself by enhancing public awareness of our commercial recycling and composting programs.” said Gary Horton, president of Western Disposal. “We are thrilled she is joining our team.” 

Western Disposal recently celebrated 40 years of service to Boulder. The company was started in 1970 by Danny Souders with one truck and has now grown to over 70 vehicles and 130 people who make over 20,000 collections a day and visit nearly every home in Boulder twice a week. Through a close partnership with the city of Boulder, Western has been able to divert over 52 percent of residential waste to recycling and composting — the highest rate in Colorado.

LAMBORN CHOSEN AS CO-CHAIR OF REPUBLICAN ISRAEL CAUCUSContinuing the efforts of Majority Leader Eric Cantor (VA-07) and Rep. Mike Pence (IN-06), returning co-chairs Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-06) and Rep. Leonard Lance (NJ-07) welcomed Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO-05) and freshman Rep. Michael Grimm (NY-13) to the co-chairmanship of the 112th Congressional Republican Israel Caucus. As a Congressional Member Organization (CMO), this caucus is dedicated to educating Members and staff on current events, administration policies and regional issues related to Israel. 

“It is a great honor to be chosen as a co-chair for the Republican Israel Caucus,” stated Lamborn. “As a long time supporter of the State of Israel, I look forward to working with the other co-chairs to continue to reinforce the strong relationship between our two democratic countries.”

The caucus connects Members and staff with leading Middle East policy analysts to deepen their understanding of the issues Israel faces amidst the ever-changing dynamic in the Middle East.

Additionally, the caucus collaborates with policy experts, academics, the Israel and Jewish communities and Members to host events that help open the dialogue on the pertinent issues in the Middle East. The Caucus often partners with the Democratic Israel Working Group in a bipartisan manner on Israel issues that concern people on both sides of the aisle. Last Congress, the Republican Israel Caucus boasted over 75 Republican members.

CLEMENTS CONFIRMED TO HEAD?DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONSThe Colorado Senate confirmed Tom Clements as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Correction with a vote of 35 to 0. 

Clements was the director of the Division of Adult Institutions for the Missouri Department of Corrections. He has more than 31 years of professional corrections experience. 

Clements has been in his previous job since September 2007, where he directed operations for Missouri’s 21 adult correctional institutions and overall management of 30,500 incarcerated offenders. He has served in statewide leadership roles within the adult probation and parole system and in Missouri’s adult correctional institutions system. 

Clements jointed the Missouri Department of Corrections in 1979. His first job was as a probation and parole officer. He later worked as an assistant district supervisor — Division of Probation and Parole; as Regional Administrator — Division of Probation and Parole; as Chief State Supervisor, Acting — Division of Probation and Parole; and as Deputy Director — Division of Adult Institutions. 

Clements supports safe prison operations and effective offender rehabilitation and re-entry practices and has established safe and constitutionally compliant policy and procedure to guide all aspects of institutional operations. He was a member of the Missouri Re-entry Process Steering Team created by the Governor of Missouri. 

Clements earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mid-America Nazarene University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri. 

The Department of Corrections operates 20 adult prisons and a youthful offender system. Through the 19 community and parole offices, corrections professionals supervise offenders reentering communities throughout the state. Offenders under DOC supervision participate in rehabilitative programming, including basic education, mental health and substance abuse treatment, life and work skills, and re-entry courses. The DOC management system is designed to assist offenders’ to successfully re-enter society.