Commissioner's Office Staff
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John Salazar, Commissioner of Agriculture“I look forward to serving the people of Colorado as the Commissioner of Agriculture,” Salazar said. “I am excited about the great possibilities of expanding our energy opportunities along with marketing value-added products and promoting the second-largest economy in Colorado.” |
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Jim Miller, Deputy Commissioner“Colorado’s agricultural community is the foundation of this great state; I firmly believe that success for our farmers, ranchers, and processors translate to a better quality of life for us all.” |
Tom Lipetzky, Chief Financial & Operations Officer
Tom oversees CDA’s business functions to help ensure the daily operations of the Department runs smoothly. Prior to joining the Department in October of 2006, Tom was vice president for program planning and development with the U.S. Meat Export Federation. He also worked as the chief operating officer of an association management company for agricultural associations and served as the vice president, international marketing for the National Potato Research & Promotion Board. Earlier in his career, he worked in various policy analysis, economic and marketing roles with the North Dakota and United States Department’s of Agriculture. He was raised on a grain and livestock farm in North Dakota and remains involved today. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agriculture with concentrations in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from North Dakota State University.
Jenifer Gurr, Executive Administrator & Human Resources Manager
Jenifer, raised in a ranching community in northwest Colorado, is the executive assistant to the Commissioner of Agriculture. She manages the Commissioners' office and is responsible for the schedules of the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner. She also supports the Colorado Agricultural Commission and oversees CDA's Human Resources staff. In addition, Jenifer serves as the liaison with the Office of the Secretary of State for all rules adopted by the department.
Christi Lightcap, Director of Communications
As the primary media contact, Christi serves as a spokesperson on Departmental programs and agricultural issues. She creates and distributes news releases as well as other educational material for the general public. In addition, Christi is the media coordinator during the Colorado State Fair and the current President of COSDA, Communication Officers of State Departments of Agriculture.
Christi was raised near Las Animas and grew up on the rodeo trail. She graduated college at CSU-Pueblo with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications. Christi brings a decade of experience to the CDA. She also worked at a news station in Southern Colorado as a news producer, specials projects producer and a technical director.
Tony Jones, Chief Information Officer
Tony was selected as CDA's Chief Information Officer in 2008. His duties include overseeing department technical resources, supervising IT staff, and acting as the lisasion between CDA and the Governor's Office of Information and Technology. He has been a valued employee at CDA since 1996.
Tony has a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from Regis University in Denver. He was born in Indian Harbor Beach, Florida, and moved to Colorado when he was 19. Tony exchanged his dream of becoming a farmer for his garden in order to focus his efforts on his important role at the Colorado Department of Agriculture.