Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today that Ken Lund, the chief legal counsel in the Governor’s Office, will become executive director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade on Aug. 1. He will replace Dwayne Romero.
Jack Finlaw, who is now chief of staff to Denver Mayor Bill Vidal, will replace Lund as chief legal counsel. Lund will hold dual roles until Finlaw starts work later in August.
“Dwayne Romero was instrumental in kick-starting our statewide Bottom-up Economic Development Plan and moving Colorado toward the path of economic revival,” Hickenlooper said in a press release. “The Office of Economic Development and International Trade is stronger and more customer-focused because of Dwayne’s leadership. He brought tremendous expertise and vision to the planning process and helped create a roadmap for Colorado’s economic future.
“Ken Lund has a fierce passion for expanding business. As managing partner for one of Colorado’s largest transactional law firms, Ken was intimately involved with growing businesses at all stages of their evolution. He’s almost obsessed with how to grow Colorado companies. Ken will build on the grass-roots plan we are creating and continue efforts to attract new jobs to Colorado,” Hickenlooper said.
Lund was hired in December to be Hickenlooper’s chief legal counsel. He was previously the managing partner of Holme Roberts & Owen in Denver.
Lund will remain a member of the Governor’s Office senior staff in his new role and continue to provide legal counsel to the governor.
“I am honored to serve in this critical economic development role and look forward to continuing the momentum created by Dwayne Romero and his team,” Lund said. “Our focus will be on helping to execute the local, regional and statewide economic development plans developed over the past six months. We want to attract, retain and help grow businesses all over Colorado. We will work our way out of this recession by building partnerships and supporting businesses to create jobs.”
Lund previously served as a board member for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. and the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross. He also was a board member and executive committee member for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce Denver. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Metro Denver Sports Commission.
Lund earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and a juris doctorate from the University of Denver.
Finlaw, who will replace Lund at the governor’s chief legal counsel, has worked the past six months at Mayor Vidal’s chief of staff. He previously worked as deputy chief of staff for then-Mayor Hickenlooper and for seven years as director of the City’s Theatres and Arenas Division.
“Jack Finlaw is a skilled attorney who possesses a unique blend of management experience in business, the non-profit sector and government,” Hickenlooper said. “We are honored he will be part of our team again.”
