Colorado Senate Approves Two New Members to the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System

The Colorado Senate today approved the appointment of two new members of the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System.

Joe Blake, president and chief executive officer of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Bonifacio (Boney) Cosyleon, president of Byerly and Cosyleon Inc. in Pueblo will begin four-year terms on the governing board that oversees Colorado State University and Colorado State University-Pueblo.

"We are very pleased with the confirmation today of these two new board members," said Colorado State University Chancellor Larry Edward Penley. "Joe Blake and Boney Cosyleon bring outstanding business experience, dedication and an acute understanding of the complex issues facing higher education in Colorado to their work with the Board. This expertise is invaluable as we work to ensure the immediate and long-term success of Colorado State University and Colorado higher education as a whole."

Blake and Cosyleon begin their terms immediately and are scheduled to attend the next regular meeting of the Board tomorrow, Jan. 27, at 9 a.m. in classroom C of the Colorado State University Denver Center, on the 15th floor, at 410 17th Street in Denver. The meeting is open to the public.

Blake serves as chairman of the Colorado Transportation Commission. He is a member of the Colorado Tolling Enterprise Board and was recently appointed by Owens to serve on the state’s Task Force on Transportation Finance, which he also chairs. Blake also serves on the board of directors for the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, the Denver Public Schools Foundation and the Denver Foundation.

Cosyleon is a longtime member of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and the Pueblo Economic Development Corp. He has been an instrumental player in the Colorado Contractors Association’s outreach to minority businesses. He is the recipient of the Colorado Department of Transportation Emerging Small Business Award. Cosyleon is a graduate of Southern Colorado State College, which is now CSU-Pueblo.

Penley also extended a warm thanks to Fred Kerst and C.W. Smith, whose terms on the Board have concluded. "We’re very grateful to Fred and C.W. for their tireless efforts on behalf of our System and its institutions," he said.

The Board of Governors has the responsibility for overseeing Colorado State University in Fort Collins and CSU-Pueblo. Terms are four years and must be approved by the state Senate.

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