ALAMOSA — Ken Montera, Republican candidate for Regent at the University of Colorado made a campaign stop in Alamosa this week.

Montera is a third generation Coloradan who is originally from Pueblo. His ancestors were Italian immigrants who came to America in the early 1900s and became steel workers and farmers. Montera was the first in his family to go to college as a recipient of the President’s Leadership Class Scholarship through the University of Colorado. He is a graduate of the Leeds School of Business majoring in marketing and international business.

Since that time, Montera has enjoyed a 30-plus year career in business and has been in leadership positions at four Fortune 200 Companies including Johnson and Johnson and Pepsico.

After raising three successful children and taking his family to nine different cities across the U.S. Montera decided to return to Colorado and has now resided in Colorado Springs four years. The decision to become a candidate for CU Regent in January of 2018 was relatively simple. He views it as a way to give back to the state he loves and the institution that set him on the path to his career.

Montera is a candidate for an at-large position on the board. Some of the key issues in the race for him are the cost of education, selection of the next president for the University of Colorado following the retirement of President Bruce Benson, and free speech.

“What we want should be about students,” Montera said.

He is also an advocate for a strong vision for the Board of Regents that “supersedes political agenda.” He also wants CU to be a place where logical debate and discussions can take place. In addition, having a path for students from areas of rural Colorado to attend CU and helping students be better prepared to join the workforce is also something that is important to Montera.

The Board of Regents for the University of Colorado is the governing body for the flagship university of the state. There are nine officers who are all elected officials. There are seven that come from each congressional district across the state and two at-large positions. The Board of Regents is constitutionally charged with the oversight of the university in general as well as exclusive control of all funding and appropriations to the university including funding, appropriation, etc. The University of Colorado system is a key part of the state economy as it the third largest employer in Colorado.

Some information taken from cu.edu/regents