A former Colorado lawmaker who served as the state’s first African-American speaker of the House will join Denver Public Schools as a senior official overseeing the district’s legal, communications, and public affairs departments.

Terrance Carroll has been working as an attorney with the Denver firm Butler Snow. He represented the northeast part of the city as a Democratic state representative from 2003 to 2011, when he left the legislature because he was term-limited. While in office, Carroll co-sponsored a bill that created “innovation schools,” which are district-run schools with charter-like flexibilities.

Carroll serves on the boards of Metropolitan State University, the National Western Stock Show, and the Downtown Denver Partnership, according to a district press release. In 2010, he was named one of Denver’s 50 most influential people by 5280 magazine.

Carroll will start on April 2 as the district’s chief legal and external affairs officer, a new position. Part of his job will be to take on the role currently filled by general counsel Jerome DeHerrera.

Carroll will be the second former speaker of the House working for Denver Public Schools. Former speaker Mark Ferrandino is the district’s chief financial officer.

Denver Public Schools will also get a new chief communications officer on April 2: Anna Alejo, a former television reporter who covered public education in the city for 16 years. Alejo left journalism to work in corporate communications and was most recently a communications consultant for technology companies, including those specializing in education technology.

Alejo is the Spanish-language spokesperson for the Denver Preschool Program and was recently co-chair of the pro-reform advocacy group A Plus Colorado, according to the district’s press release.

She will replace current communications chief Nancy Mitchell.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.