Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia announced Tuesday that he will be stepping down next year to take a new job.

The Pueblo Democrat said in a statement that he plans to start work as president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a Boulder-based advocacy organization, before July 1.

“Joe will be nearly impossible to replace,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper in a statement. “He has been an exceptional lieutenant governor and in leading education efforts for Colorado. He has given five years selflessly to the success of this state and the future education of our children. We are grateful and wish him continued success.”

Garcia, who also serves as executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, has won election as Hickenlooper’s lieutenant governor twice.

Upon a vacancy in the office, the governor will nominate a successor, who must be confirmed by a majority vote in both chambers of the General Assembly.

“I want to thank Gov. Hickenlooper and the state of Colorado for the incredible opportunity to work on important policy issues for the last five years,” said Garcia in a statement. “This was a difficult decision but education has always been my passion. I look forward to carrying the message of opportunity, college completion and workforce development throughout the West.”

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Joe Garcia for over 10 years, and have loved having him just a floor away here in the Capitol,” said Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, in a statement. “As lieutenant governor, he has fought for expanding access to higher education, and has worked tirelessly on the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs to serve as an advocate for Colorado’s Native American residents.”

House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, called Garcia “a tremendous asset to Colorado” in a statement. “I have no doubt that his record of exemplary service will continue at WICHE, which has been finding regional solutions to higher education issues for more than 60 years,” she said. “It will be a pleasure to welcome Joe to Boulder, where WICHE has its headquarters.”

Prior to his election as lieutenant governor, Garcia was president of Colorado State University-Pueblo and was president of Pikes Peak Community College before that. He has also served as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary’s representative for the Rocky Mountain States and as executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. A graduate of the University of Colorado, Garcia earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. In his career as an attorney, he became the first Hispanic partner in the 100-year-history of law firm Holme Roberts & Owen.

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com