Rick Palacio

Rick Palacio
Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party
In office
March 5, 2011 – March 11, 2017
Personal details
Born (1974-11-03) November 3, 1974
Political party Democratic
Alma mater Regis University

Rick Palacio (born November 3, 1974) is the founder of PSGroup, a political and corporate consulting firm based in Denver, Colorado. For six years, Palacio served as Chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party. He was born in Pueblo, Colorado and is a sixth-generation Coloradan. Rick attended Pueblo County High School, and later Regis University in Denver.

Prior to his service as Chair, Palacio worked in a variety of roles in Colorado and national politics. [1] [2] Palacio then held multiple roles with U.S. Rep. John Salazar of Colorado's third Congressional District, including Legislative Assistant and later Deputy Communications Director.

In 2008 he was hired[3] as Deputy Director of Member Service in the office of the House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, the second highest-ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Palacio was one of the primary Congressional staffers responsible for the repeal of Don't ask, don't tell.

Palacio was elected [4] Chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party on March 5, 2011. Palacio is the first Latino[5] in Colorado's history to hold the office of chair of a major political party, and when elected was only the second in the nation. He is also openly gay.[6]

Awards and recognition

  • 2008: 5280 Magazine's list of Colorado's Most Influential Latinos[1]
  • 2011: Advocate Magazine's List of 40 Under Forty[6]
  • 2011: Out Front Colorado's "Power" list of most Influential GLBT Coloradans[7]
  • 2011: Southern Colorado Equality Alliance "Pride of Pueblo" award [8]
  • 2015: 40 Under 40: Latinos in American Politics [9]

References

  1. 1 2 Martinez, Vanessa (August 2008). "Latinos Rising: A look at Colorado's most politically influential Latinos, including four under 40". 5280. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  2. ↑ Malone, Patrick (March 14, 2011). "A defeat launched new Democratic leader". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Majority Leader Hoyer Announces Key Staff Changes and Additions". The Office of Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. March 31, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  4. ↑ Lee, Kurtis (March 6, 2011). "Colorado Dems elect Rick Palacio state party chair". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  5. ↑ Catanese, David (March 5, 2011). "Colo. Dems tap Latino chair, Pozen plays hard to get". Politico. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Forty Under 40: Part Two". Advocate.com. May 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Power surges through Colorado LGBT community". Out Front Colorado. October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  8. ↑ "News and Events". Socoequality.org. 2011-10-21. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  9. ↑ Calderon, Josue Lopez (21 September 2015). "40 Under 40: Latinos in American Politics". huffingtonpost.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.