Joseph A. Garcia is the 48th and current Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

The lieutenant governor of Colorado is the second-highest-ranking member of the executive department of the Colorado state government, below only the Governor of Colorado. The lieutenant governor, who acts as governor in his absence and succeeds to the governorship in case of vacancy, is elected on...

, having taken office in January 2011.

Educational background

Garcia earned an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Colorado at Boulder

University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...

 (1979) and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

 (1983).

Career

Garcia is the Vice Chair of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education and a member of the board of trustees for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He is also a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

From 2001-2006, he served as President of Pikes Peak Community College

Pikes Peak Community College

Pikes Peak Community College is a community college located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is the largest institution of higher education in the Pikes Peak region. PPCC offers more than 150 programs in liberal arts and sciences transfer and career technical education...

.

From 2006-2010, he served as President of Colorado State University-Pueblo during his tenure President Garcia helped CSU-Pueblo increase enrollment making it the fastest growing university in the state of Colorado.

Garcia took a leave of absence from Colorado State University-Pueblo to campaign with Hickenlooper.

Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

Denver Mayor and Democratic nominee for Governor John Hickenlooper

John Hickenlooper

John Wright Hickenlooper is an American politician and current Governor of Colorado. A Democrat, he was previously the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 2003 to 2011.-Early life, education and career:...

 selected Garcia as his running mate for the 2010 election. They won the election in a landslide against former Congressman Tom Tancredo

Tom Tancredo

Thomas Gerard "Tom" Tancredo is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, as a Republican...

 and Republican Dan Maes

Dan Maes

Daniel B. Maes , is an American businessman and politician of Dutch descent. He was the Republican candidate in the 2010 Colorado gubernatorial election. Maes lives in Evergreen.-Early life, education and career:...

. Garcia was sworn in as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado on January 11, 2011, succeeding fellow Democrat Barbara O'Brien

Barbara O'Brien (politician)

Barbara O'Brien was the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. She is a Democrat. She was chosen as running mate by Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2006 election. The Ritter/O'Brien ticket won with 56.99% of the vote. As Lieutenant Governor she made...

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