Just when we thought he was out, they pulled him back in. Joe Garcia stepped down as Colorado’s lieutenant governor last year, but now he’s Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s pick to oversee reconstruction of the National Western Complex.

“Standing up the work of the Authority Board marks another important milestone in the future of the National Western Center, and Joe Garcia will be a phenomenal leader on the board as the work begins to realize the vision the people of Denver voted for and expect,” Hancock said in a statement. “Joe’s passion, collaborative spirit, experience and expertise will be invaluable assets to the Authority Board, and he is the perfect choice to help guide the build out of this historic community asset.”

The authority oversees the $1.1 billion demolition, cleanup and redevelopment of the 250-acre National Western Complex,  home to the National Western Stock Show each January since 1906. Taxpayers have pitched in to turn the aging on facility into a year-round campus for tourism, education and agricultural innovation, partnering with Colorado State University and others.

Denver voters passed Measure 2C in 2015 to extend a 1.75 percent tax on hotels and car rentals indefinitely to help pay for the project.

The authority, a nonprofit corporation incorporated by the city, will work with such partners, as well as the neighborhoods around the National Western at Brighton Boulevard and Interstate 75.

Garcia called the nomination an honor.

“I’m eager to get to work making sure that this campus becomes the asset that Denver residents said yes to two years ago,” he said in a statement released by the city. “In partnership with the community, we’re going to ensure that the National Western Center will be an opportunity that benefits this community and the whole of Denver for generations to come.”

Garcia currently is the president of the Boulder-based Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, working with universities in 16 Western states.

While he was Gov. John Hickenlooper’s  second-in-command from 2011 to the end of 2015, Garcia also served as executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. He is the former president of Colorado State University-Puebl0 and Pikes Peak Community College.

“We look forward to working with Joe to create and achieve the full vision of the NWC as authorized by the voters of Denver – a unique place like no other that will achieve international recognition while at the same time honoring the history and tradition of the area as it embraces Globeville, Elyria and Swansea,” stated Paul Andrews, president and CEO of the National Western Stock Show. “

Added Tony Frank, president of Colorado State University and chancellor of the CSU System: “I’m pleased to welcome Joe, as a long-time colleague and higher-education leader, to the National Western Center team. His experience and knowledge of the state will help ignite the vision of the NWC as a global center for learning, research, and solutions that benefit our world.”