Andrew Romanoff is never far from Colorado’s spotlight on public affairs, and now the former state House speaker and U.S. Senate candidate has a brand new bag: helping expectant parents and young families.

Romanoff, the former president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, will run the Family Visitor Programs in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys.

He succeeds Sandy Swanson, who led the 38-year-old Glenwood Springs-based agency for 34 years. Swanson retired last month. 

Romanoff was picked from more than 100 candidates, said Sally Brands, the organization’s board chair, who called Swanson and Romanoff “champions for children.”

The Family Visitor Programs (familyvisitor.org) includes the Nurse Family Partnership, Healthy Families America, Partners for a Healthy Baby, Bright by Three and the Personal Responsibility Education Program in Garfield, Pitkin and western Eagle counties.

“Thousands of Coloradans have benefited from the extraordinary work Sandy and her team have done,” Romanoff said in a statement. “I’m eager to make these critical services available to every family in our community.”