State Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood, will become Denver Deputy City Attorney effective May 31.

Tipper has served two terms in the Colorado legislature, representing House District 28 in central Lakewood since 2019, but decided earlier this year not to run for re-election in November. 

Tipper will replace James Fisher, who stepped down in late February to become deputy director for finance and administration for the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works.

“Kerry is an inspired leader who cares deeply about improving the lives of Coloradans and their ability to thrive,” said City Attorney Kristin Bronson in a joint statement with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. “She holds an enduring sense of duty as a public servant and lawyer, and I look forward to this next year of service to the CAO alongside her stewardship.”

According to the statement, Tipper will help oversee day-to-day operations of over 250 lawyers, paralegals, and administrative staff, who serve as the in-house legal team to all city officials and agencies, departments, boards, and commissions.

“I look forward to serving as Deputy City Attorney and working closely with City Attorney Bronson to provide legal and policy counsel to the mayor and city on projects, initiatives, and issues that make a difference,” Tipper said in the announcement. 

Tipper is a Colorado native who spent her early years in Costa Rica, where her mom was a native, and in Mexico. The family moved back to Colorado for good when Tipper was 6. She is a graduate of D’Evelyn High School in Jefferson County, earned an undergraduate degree in international studies and Spanish from the University of Denver and her law degree from Northwestern. 

“It’s been an honor to work alongside Kerry Tipper – a phenomenal and dedicated public servant-and I know she’ll be a fantastic Deputy City Attorney for Denver,” House Speaker Alec Garnett said in a statement. “Her tenacity, integrity, and deep understanding of public policy are just some of the many outstanding qualities that consistently earned her the trust and respect of everyone in the legislature. I’m excited to see her continue to lead and make a difference in our community.”

Tipper, who is vice-chair of the House Finance Committee, also serves on the House Judiciary Committee. She is the treasurer for the Colorado Latino Caucus, a Uniform Law Commissioner (representing Colorado at the national level), and chair of the Law and Criminal Justice Task Force of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. In 2022, her legislation included a bill awaiting the governor’s signature to ensure displaced Aurarians got long-promised scholarships from the colleges on the Auraria campus. She also co-sponsored, with House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar of Pueblo, “Marlo’s Law,” which eases the process for obtaining parental rights for LGBTQ Coloradans. 

In previous sessions, she sponsored several laws on immigration, including a bill to create an immigration legal defense fund; and a law that ended prison gerrymandering.

Prior to her election to the House, Tipper practiced law at WilmerHale and as an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts and Colorado. In those roles she prosecuted civil rights, anti-discrimination, and consumer protection law violations and represented state agencies in Colorado that regulate healthcare and keep Coloradans safe, according to Hancock’s statement.

Tipper is married and has a two-year-old daughter, Evan. She told Colorado Politics during the legislative session that part of the reason for not running for re-election was so that she could spend more time with her family.