Speakers
Law ceremony | Graduate ceremony | Undergraduate ceremony
Law ceremony, May 17, 2008
Karen J. Mathis, past president of the American Bar Association
Karen J. Mathis, a partner in the Denver office of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, is a business, commercial and estate planning lawyer with more than 30 years of experience.
Mathis was the third woman to serve as ABA president and the first president from Colorado. Her presidential initiatives were Youth at Risk, Second Season of Service, Direct Women Institute and Rule of Law.
Mathis has long been an advocate for children and youth, serving on the Colorado Commission on Child Care and as a member of the Mile Hi Council of Girl Scouts. In addition, she has spoken on five continents about the future of the law and women’s place in the profession.
She’s a member of the Colorado and International Women's Forums and has been honored as an outstanding lawyer by the Denver and Colorado Bar Associations, the University of Colorado and the University of Albany School of Law. The National Law Journal named her among the "50 Most Influential Women in America."
Graduate ceremony, June 6, 2008
Peter Groff, director of the University of Denver Center for African American Policy and the first African American Senate President in Colorado history
The Honorable Peter C. Groff serves as president of the Colorado Senate. He's the first African American in Colorado to hold that post, and only the third African American state senate president in U.S. history.
Groff, who has been called the “Conscience of the Senate,” has represented Senate District 33 in the City and County of Denver since February 2003. He also served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2000-2003.
During his legislative career, Groff has passed landmark legislation prohibiting racial profiling, requiring booster seats for young children, securing tens of millions of dollars to combat health disparities, and crafting Referendum C, which generated billions of dollars for critical state needs and infrastructure.
Groff is the founder and executive director of the DU Center for African American Policy. The Center works for a positive change in the lives of African Americans through academics, the arena of public discourse, and community and public service. Groff is also a senior lecturer in the University of Denver’s Public Policy Program and the editor of the Center’s website, blackpolicy.org.
Undergraduate ceremony, June 7, 2008
Daniel Ritchie, chancellor emeritus of the University of Denver
In January 2007, Daniel L. Ritchie became Chairman and CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, one of the largest cultural complexes in the United States. He was Chairman of the Board of the University of Denver from 2005 to 2007, where he served as the 16th chancellor for 16 years from 1989 to 2005.
Ritchie's involvement with DU began in 1983 when he became a trustee. He served as vice chairman of the board and chaired the development committee before becoming chancellor.
In his nearly 20 years of involvement with DU, the oldest private university in the Rocky Mountain region, the school has steadily gained stature and strengthened academic programs. In 2001, the University concluded the largest fund-raising campaign in its history, topping the $200 million goal by nearly $74 million. A $450 million construction and renovation program, mostly funded by private contributions, has changed the campus's culture and skyline. Among improvements are new buildings for student residence, business, science, law and music education; a center for athletics, recreation and wellness; a performing arts center; and more funds for scholarships.
Ritchie was CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting for eight years before moving to Colorado in 1987. That year, the long-time corporate executive began a new life on Grand River Ranch, a large property he had owned near Kremmling for many years. The move to Colorado capped a career of nearly 30 years spent in executive positions with MCA, Inc. and Westinghouse.
Ritchie currently serves as President of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation, which focuses on early childhood education and development, and he is Chairman of the Board of the Daniels Fund, which supports programs that encourage personal responsibility and achievement by funding college scholarships and community programs. Ritchie has also served as chair of the Education Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board.
Some of Ritchie’s awards include: the Citizen of the West Award given by the National Western Stock Show to an individual who exemplifies the spirit and determination of the Western pioneer; the National Samaritan Institute Award; the Gold Medal Award of the Poor Richard Club; Outstanding Philanthropist at National Philanthropy Day; the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee; a Laureate member of the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and the Ethical Leadership Award from the University of Denver.
He holds both undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard.