Republican Chance Hill announced Tuesday that he’s won the endorsement of El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf for University of Colorado regent in the 5th Congressional District.

Hill, an employment law attorney and political newcomer, is the lone declared candidate for the seat in next year’s election, when incumbent Kyle Hybl, who has also endorsed Hill, faces term limits.

Noting that Hill is both a former CIA officer and Navy veteran, VanderWerf praised Hill’s “maturity, poise, and perseverance” in his endorsement.

“I too deployed to Iraq, and I know how that experience can be difficult and dangerous at times,” VanderWerf said in a statement. “Even though Chance had already completed his active-duty military obligation, he chose to defer graduate school for a year so that he could join his fellow servicemen and women in a war zone. The fact that Chance volunteered for a tour in Iraq is a testament to his character and his patriotism. Today, I still see that character and enthusiasm to serve in Chance’s polite and driven personality.”

VanderWerf maintained that Hill’s recent experience in law school – he received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 2015 – adds “unique value to the CU Board of Regents starting with his first day on the job.”

Regents oversee the CU system’s $3.5 billion annual budget and make key hiring and policy decisions for the university’s four campuses – CU Boulder, CU Colorado Springs, CU Denver, and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Voters elect two at-large regents and one from each of the state’s seven congressional districts to staggered, six-year terms. Three of the seats will be on the ballot next year.

Hill launched his campaign in March, saying he wants to promote intellectual diversity and free speech on CU’s campuses and focus on reducing the burden of student debt by cutting costs and cultivating public-private partnerships with the university.