Fort Lewis College board of trustees member Ellen Roberts’ four-year term as a policymaker at the college has come to an end.
Appointed by the governor in 2018, Roberts was part of a board of trustees that made some important decisions at FLC. One accomplishment important to Roberts was preserving the Native American tuition waiver.
“People in Denver didn’t fully appreciate the commitment that had been made long ago to our Native American population,” she said. “Preserving that tuition waiver is high on my list of our board’s accomplishments.”
In addition to being a trustee, Roberts serves as a gubernatorial appointee to the board of History Colorado, the statewide historical association and an agency in the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
During Roberts’ time as a trustee, she was involved in choosing a new president for FLC after Dene Kay Thomas retired. The board decided on current president Tom Stritikus to replace Thomas.
Not all of the trustees at FLC are local; many of those who are appointed to the board come from other parts of the state. However, Roberts is local to Durango, and found that to be an important part of her service on the board.
“Fort Lewis is an institution I have cared about as a resident of the area for 33 years,” she said. “Fort Lewis as a local institution is really important.”
As a trustee, Roberts said she fought for more local representation on the board, and overturned a statute that limited the number of local trustees allowed.
“It was important to me that we get that statute changed to free up more seats on the board for people from Southwest Colorado, and to have Native American representation,” she said. “I didn’t carry that legislation, but I certainly urged that we head in that direction, and fortunately, we had state legislators who carried that bill.”
Roberts said different governors allow different numbers of terms for appointment, and that she could have been considered for another term as trustee but chose not to.
“Four years is good,” she said. “I was in the Legislature for 10 years, so I feel like I was working hard on Fort Lewis issues for 14 years.”
Replacing Roberts is Paul Major, the president and CEO of the Telluride Foundation. Major was appointed by Gov. Jared Polis on Dec. 21, and will serve a term through Dec. 31, 2025.
Major has a wealth of experience in the skiing industry, which began in 1984 with the U.S. ski team in Park City, Utah. He served as the vice president of athletics and Alpine Olympic ski coach for the U.S. ski team.
Along with her term as a trustee, Roberts said she recently retired from her job as a natural resources consultant for governmental entities, nonprofits and private foundations on forest health restoration and watershed protection.
“Now I’m just going to enjoy all that Southwest Colorado has to offer,” she said.
njohnson@durangoherald.com
