JB Holston, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, to Represent Colorado on the WICHE Commission

BOULDER, COLORADO — JB Holston, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education who has decades of business, civic, and education leadership experience, has been appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) as a Commissioner for the state by Gov. Jared Polis.  

Before joining the Colorado Department of Higher Education earlier this year, Holston served as dean of the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Denver. His focus there was innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration, all of which served him well in his subsequent roles in the private sector.  

“Success in the West starts with education,” Holston said. “As a WICHE Commissioner, I’m committed to ensuring every student not only accesses higher education but gains the realworld skills, handson experience, and industryaligned training needed to thrive in the region’s rapidly evolving workforce and innovationdriven economies.” 

The WICHE Commission is comprised of 48 Commissioners appointed by their respective governors from the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. The Commissioners are higher education leaders and include state higher education executive officers, college and university presidents, legislators, business and community leaders, and other key partners. Together, they guide WICHE’s strategic direction and assure that the Western Regional Education Compact, which the Western states adopted in 1953, is carried out for the benefit of the region.  

“With his extensive experience in advising civic organizations, institutions of higher education, governments, and industries on workforce development, JB Holston is a natural fit for the Commission,” said WICHE President Demarée Michelau. “We look forward to benefitting from his expertise in instituting growth, innovation, and talent development as we work to meet the workforce needs of the West.”  

Holston joins fellow Colorado WICHE Commissioners Jim Chavez, the executive director of the Community College of Denver Foundation & Government Affairs, and Kate Siegel Shimko, the vice chancellor for administration and governmental relations at the Colorado State University System.