Gov. Jared Polis on Monday named JB Holston, former dean of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver, as the next executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

He will succeed Angie Paccione, who has led the department since 2019.

According to a statement from the governor, Holston developed Colorado’s TechHubsNow! Initiative, which led to the state’s designation as one of 31 national Department of Commerce Regional Innovation Hub finalists, co-founded the Colorado Mass Timber Coalition to address the state’s healthy forest and watershed needs, and engaged in important state housing and workforce development initiatives. 

Holston is currently a senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group, a Denver-based strategic management firm. He also served as CEO of the Greater Washington Partnership for two years and co-founded the Colorado Media Project.

In a statement, Polis said Holston’s “deep breadth of experience and energy will drive forward our vision better to connect Higher Education with the needs of our workforce, ensuring that students who seek higher education leave with the skills needed for high-paying, in-demand careers.”

Holston said he is grateful for the governor’s trust in his ability to advance the state’s vision to bridge gaps between higher education and the changing workforce.

“I will work diligently to ensure every student seeking higher education receives the skills, experience, and training necessary to fill in-demand, high-paying jobs in Colorado’s innovative economy,” Holston added.

Holston holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford, which he completed in three years (“don’t recommend it,” he said on his LinkedIn profile), and a master’s degree in business administration from Stanford.

The head of the department of higher education is the only cabinet position whose job qualifications are outlined in state law, which states that the executive director shall be “qualified by substantial training and experience in the field of higher education.”

This isn’t only about the college degree — the expectation, rooted in the statute’s origins, is that the executive director have administrative experience in higher education, which is useful when navigating the state’s 27 public colleges and universities and their governing boards.

Holston’s appointment will require confirmation by the state Senate.