December 11, 2006 10:55 PM UTC

Ritter Makes More Staff Announcements

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• by: Colorado Pols

Gov-Elect Bill Ritter announced two new staff additions today: Stephanie Villafuerte as deputy chief of staff for community outreach and administration, and Kenneth C. Weil as deputy chief of staff for policy and initiatives. It should be noted that it was Villafuerte who pointed out to the Ritter camp that Bob Beauprez may have used illegally-gained information on an anti-Ritter plea bargain ad.

Click below for the full press release…

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today announced the appointments of two additional members of his senior staff: Stephanie Villafuerte as deputy chief of staff for community outreach and administration, and Kenneth C. Weil as deputy chief of staff for policy and initiatives.

?Stephanie and Ken are highly qualified and I?m honored they have agreed to work with me in the new administration,? Ritter said. ?We?re building a team that is intellectually second-to-none, a team that will represent the diverse interests of this great state, and a team that will work tirelessly to help fulfill the Colorado Promise.? 

The deputy chief of staff for community outreach & administration will ensure that all communities across Colorado have access to the governor?s office through formal channels, such as boards and commissions, or less formal means, such as communities of interest.

Ms. Villafuerte also will oversee some internal management aspects of the governor?s office.

?This is a new concept, one that reflects Gov.-elect Ritter?s commitment to making sure the Colorado Promise is available to all Coloradans, no matter where they live or what their background,? Chief of Staff Jim Carpenter said.

The deputy chief of staff for policy & initiatives will work with the governor to develop a comprehensive policy agenda and carry out various policy initiatives. Mr. Weil will work closely with the legislature, state agencies, citizen groups and other organizations to help fulfill the Colorado Promise for all Coloradans. 

Additional biographical information about Ms. Villafuerte and Mr. Weil:

Ms. Villafuerte is a former federal prosecutor and chief deputy district attorney. She received a bachelor?s degree in public policy and mass communications from the University of Denver in 1987 and her law degree from UCLA in 1991.

She has prosecuted thousands of cases in state and federal court, dedicating her career to combating domestic violence and child abuse. She was selected as Prosecutor of the Year in 2005 by the Colorado District Attorney?s Council for her work on behalf of child victims and specifically for her work as the lead prosecutor in the Brent Brents case.

Ms. Villafuerte took a leave of absence from the Denver D.A.?s office in July to work on the Ritter for Governor campaign. She is currently serving as coordinator of the governor-elect?s transition team. Ms. Villafuerte is a member of the Colorado Bar, Colorado Women?s Bar Association and the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association. She is married to Seth Grob and they have two daughters: Sierra, 7, and Sydney, 10.

Mr. Weil served as co-chair of the Ritter for Governor campaign, overseeing the policy team and chairing the finance committee. 

Previously he was the founder and president of Rose Biomedical Research and Rose Biomedical Development Corporation. He worked in health care for 19 years, including extensive experience in coordinating the activities of physician and engineer teams in medical technology development and clinical research.

Before his years in health care and medical product research and development, he served as a policy adviser to former Gov. Richard Lamm.

Among his community activities, Mr. Weil serves on the Board of Trustees of Jewish Family Services, and was chairman of the board in 2003 and 2004. He previously served on the Board of the Child Health Foundation. 

Mr. Weil received a bachelor of philosophy degree from Miami University in 1980 and a masters of public administration from George Washington University in 1982. Mr. Weil is married to Tamara Weil and they have three children: Hannah, 14, and twins Ari and Benjamin, 10.

Gov.-elect Ritter previously named Carpenter as chief of staff, Mary Kay Hogan as legislative director and Trey Rogers as chief legal counsel. Read the news release here.