Henry Sobanet, Director

No confirmation as member of Governor's Office.

"There is no secret pot of money to help solve the state’s well-documented budget shortfalls,” Hickenlooper said. “Henry Sobanet knows his way around the state budget and will be an important part of our team as we work to recover from this historic economic downturn."

Sobanet is now President of Colorado Strategies LLC, a private consulting firm that specializes in economics, Colorado budget issues, legislative affairs and strategic management. The firm has provided consulting and research services to a wide range of public, private and non-profit groups. Sobanet is a frequent speaker on the economy and tax policy and has been an instructor at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado.

Sobanet worked for the Office of State Planning Budgeting as Deputy Director from 1999 to 2004, when former Gov. Bill Owens appointed him to be Director of the office. In 2005, Sobanet was the lead negotiator and researcher for the Governor’s Office in reaching a compromise with the legislature on the State’s budget shortfall. This effort resulted in Referendum C, which was adopted by voters in November 2005. In 2006, Sobanet helped develop and negotiate an innovative plan to address the state’s then-$11.3 billion pension shortfall.

Sobanet earlier worked as an economist for five years at the Colorado Legislative Council, the nonpartisan research office for the state legislature. He has served on a number of boards and commissions, most recently as the District 1 (Denver) representative on the Colorado Transportation Commission. He is now a member of the Second Judicial District Nominating Commission.

Sobanet, a Denver native, attended Regis Jesuit High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree in the same subject from the University of Colorado at Denver.

About the Office of State Planning and Budgeting: 

The Office provides the Governor with the revenue and budget information needed to make public policy decisions. It does this by: developing revenue estimates, creating budgets within revenue constraints, drafting proposals for new legislation, tracking legislation and monitoring the legislative budget process and implementation, and providing public information. Housed within the Offices of the Governor, OSPB is led by a Director working with a team that includes a Chief Analyst and a Chief of Economics.