DENVER  -  Governor Bill Owens has appointed former State Representative Jeanne Faatz as director of the Colorado School-to-Career Partnership.

"Jeanne's experience in education and the legislature will be a great asset to Colorado's school children," said Gov. Owens. "As a state representative, Jeanne was instrumental in passing important education legislation."

Faatz is a former secondary school teacher and college instructor who represented Southwest Denver as a state representative from 1979-'98. She served as chair of the House Education Committee and as assistant majority leader.

"Education is extremely important to me," said Faatz, who sponsored key education legislation including Public Schools of Choice, the Educator Licensure Act, and the Safe Schools Act. "I'm delighted to be a part of this statewide effort to help local schools, businesses, and communities make learning and high academic achievement relevant to the lives of students."

The School-to-Career Partnership is a statewide effort to assist local schools and communities in developing a learning system that promotes high academic standards, career development and workforce preparation for every student.

In 1995, the State of Colorado was awarded a five-year, $24 million grant from the United States Departments of Labor and Education. Currently, 80 percent of Colorado School Districts participate in the program.