From the Classroom to the Capitol

Whether you have read about the latest Penry-backed bill in the Colorado House of Representatives or you know him as the Maverick student-athlete who earned national honors, Josh Penry has certainly made an impact in and on a number of fields. Looking at his achievements, you might ask just how did he become so successful at such a young age? According to Penry, the old adage “Do what you love and you will love what you do” has laid the foundation for his past and present accomplishments.

While he was born in Denver, Penry spent most of his childhood in Grand Junction and considers himself a western Colorado native. Both he and his wife Jamie, whom he started dating during their senior year, graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1994 and became star athletes at Mesa State College. In addition to cheering on the women’s basketball team, Penry successfully balanced the demands of quarterbacking the football team and serving as the college’s student body president.

Due to his endeavors on and off the field, Penry was named the National Scholar Athlete of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and the Burger King Corporation. Winning this award put on him on par with the likes of Peyton Manning, the Tennessee stand-out who won the previous year’s award and who now plays in the National Football League. It was also a great boon to Penry’s alma mater; Mesa State received $135,000. Now part of the Josh Penry Scholarship Endowment, the award’s accrued interest funds scholarships for accomplished student-athletes and political science majors.

Penry, thanks to his politically active parents, has also always had an interest in politics. During his first year at Mesa State, he developed a close friendship with political science professor John Redifer, which they maintain to this day. “I came away with a great respect for the Mesa State College faculty,” Penry said. “In fact, people at the state capitol are beginning to recognize Mesa State political science graduates. Of course, it helps that every race in Colorado this past fall had a Mesa State graduate in the running.”

In 1998, Penry graduated summa cum laude with a political science degree and a 4.0 GPA and gave the student address at the commencement ceremony. Penry then pursued graduate studies in government and public policy at Johns Hopkins University. He also worked as an intern for state senator Tilman Bishop, who was serving as State Senate President Pro Tem at the time. This hands-on political experience led to Penry joining forces with Colorado’s third congressional district congressman Scott McInnis. From January 1999 to November 2003, Penry quickly rose through the ranks of the McInnis operation—from staff assistant to press secretary to senior staffer for a congressional subcommittee chaired by McInnis.

During his tenure as McInnis’ press secretary, he took a leading role in formulating the congressman’s expansive natural resource and environment agenda. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Penry was at the center of the McInnis-led efforts to promote balanced stewardship and multiple use management of federal lands on Colorado’s western slope. He was also McInnis’ lead negotiator on legislation that ultimately led to the establishment of the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area. In addition, Penry was instrumental in drafting legislation on the White River National Forest, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and a number of other public policy areas, including transportation, healthcare and taxes.

Penry’s leadership on natural resources issues led to his appointment as staff director of the House Resources Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health. This made him the senior subcommittee staffer and one of the top natural resources policy aides in the United States Congress. Under the direction of McInnis and Penry, the subcommittee addressed issues and programs vital to millions of acres of National Forest System Lands. It was also instrumental in overseeing the United States Forest Service and its multi-billion dollar budget.

Most notably, Penry worked directly with McInnis, Rep. Greg Walden (OR), House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (CA) and President George W. Bush’s staff to draft, negotiate and move the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, a bipartisan forest management bill crafted in the wake of several horrific wildfire seasons in the West.

With this solid political experience under his belt, Penry campaigned to represent Colorado State House of Representative’s 54th District. After being elected to office in November 2004, he picked up two key committee appointments: the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, which deals with water issues; and the House Committee on Education.

As an education committee member, Penry sees himself as an advocate for Mesa State and wants to see the college continue to grow. “With the expansion of the mission statement has come the need to expand programs and buildings. This means power needs to be held at the local board and administrative level, not in the hands of some Denver bureaucrat. Mesa State College must become an enterprise so that it can move forward to implement the vision of the college,” he said.

While this may sound like an ambitious dream to many, it fits with another of Penry’s axioms on life: “To succeed you have to focus. If you do your job well then the future takes care of itself.”