Matt Smith, Chairperson

Matt Smith of Grand Junction, was appointed by Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, and was elected Chairperson of the Commission at its April 6, 2009 meeting.  Commissioner Smith served as State Representative for House District 54, covering western Mesa and Delta Counties, from 1996-2004.  During that time, Mr. Smith served as Chairman of the House Local Government and Joint Legal Services committees, and as Vice-Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.  Mr. Smith served two consecutive terms as Chair of the Energy Committee for the National Conference of State Legislators, and as Chair of the Energy Council, an international organization of state legislators from ten energy-producing states, four Canadian provinces, and Venezuela.  In addition to passing extensive water legislation, Commissioner Smith is best known for his leadership role in defeating the controversial water measure, Referendum A, in 2003.  An attorney in private practice, Mr. Smith has worked on water, natural resource and permitting issues, and has taught business law at Mesa State College.  He graduated Mesa State College in 1980 and earned his law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1984. 

Roy Wood, Vice Chairperson

Roy V. Wood of Denver was appointed by the Colorado House of Representatives, and was appointed Vice Chairperson in April 2009.  Commissioner Wood, a specialist in communication ethics, is Director of the Center for Civic Ethics, part of the University of Denver's Carl Williams Institute for Ethics and Values.  He recently completed a five-year comprehensive study of the ethics initiative in the City of Denver.  In 2006, Dr. Wood chaired the Colorado House of Representatives Ethics Advisory panel, at the request of House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.  He is a native of Colorado and a graduate of the University of Denver.  Before returning to DU as its first Provost in 1988, Dr. Wood was Dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University. 

Dan Grossman

Dan Grossman was appointed by the Colorado State Senate to begin his term on July 1, 2009.  He is the Regional Director for Environmental Defense Fund's Rocky
Mountain Regional Office in Boulder, Colorado. Dan leads the organization's efforts to
protect land, water and wildlife in the interior West, specifically focusing agricultural
policy, water rights, endangered species and habitat conservation. Dan joined EDF in
May of 2006, after serving ten years in the Colorado General Assembly. He served six
years in the Colorado House of Representatives, including two years as House Minority
Leader, the youngest person in Colorado history to serve in that capacity. Dan also
served four years in the Colorado Senate, where he was the Chairman of the Judiciary
Committee and Vice Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy
Committee.

Dan received his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Kansas
and his law degree from the University of Denver. He lives in Denver's Stapleton
neighborhood with his wife, Robin Koenigsberg, and their two children, Leah and Adin.

Sally H. Hopper

Sally H. Hopper of Golden, was reappointed by Governor Bill Ritter, jr. after having served two years on the Commission as the appointee of the Colorado Senate.  Commissioner Hopper served in the State Senate from 1987 to 1999.  While a member of the State Senate, she was Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Environment, Welfare and Institutions (1989-1999), and a member and sometime Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee.  Sen. Hopper carried the bill that established the Children's Health Plan in Colorado and the enabling legislation for the State Historical Fund, which funds historical preservation in the 64 counties.  After her Senate service, Ms. Hopper's primary interest was healthcare and related matters.  Recently, she has been involved in historic preservation and serves as one of Colorado's two advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  She is President of the National Society of the Colonial Dames in the State of Colorado, and since "retirement," has served on more than a dozen boards, including the George W. Hopper Family Foundation, which was formed by Commissioner Hopper and her four daughters to support programs serving middle school age girls.  She graduated from the University of Wyoming with a double major in economics and sociology.

Larry R. Lasha

Larry R. Lasha of Florence, was appointed as the fifth commissioner by the initial four commissioners.  Commissioner Lasha was raised in Florence, where his father was a barber and his mother was a school cook.  After graduation in 1963, he married his high school sweetheart, and now has two children, four grandchildren, and a great granddaughter on the way.  In 1968, Commissioner Lasha joined the Colorado Springs Fire Department, worked his way through the ranks, and in 1995, retired as Deputy Fire Chief, which included six years overseeing the operations of six departments.  He returned to Florence and was appointed City Manager, serving from 1998 to 2002.  In 2002, he ran for Fremont County Commissioner as an Independent and was elected after three recounts, by a margin of two votes.  His second campaign for Commissioner, also as an Independent, was without opposition and he collected 10,500 votes.  Mr. Lasha serves as Chairman of both the Central Front Range Transportation Planning Region and Colorado Counties, Inc. Mountain District, and is a member of several boards, including the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments, the Society of Executive Fire Officers, and the St. Thomas More Hospital Board.