DENVER | Former Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Rico Munn has been confirmed as the next chancellor of the Colorado State University System, beginning his next year, CSU officials said in a statement.
“The Board of Governors unanimously agrees that Rico Munn is an outstanding choice for CSU’s next chancellor — his breadth and depth of experience, commitment to education at all levels, and strong network across Colorado will benefit CSU and our state for years to come,” Board Chair John Fischer said.
Munn will serve as executive vice chancellor of the university system until June 30, 2027, when current chancellor Tony Frank retires.
“The institutions of the CSU System have an extraordinary legacy of serving Colorado — a legacy I am honored and excited to help carry forward,” Munn said in a statement.
Munn said that over the next year he’ll make a keen assessment of the needs of the university community, listening to stakeholders.
“I’ll also work to develop a clear-eyed understanding of the external challenges ahead so that our institutions are positioned to respond thoughtfully and strategically on behalf of the state and communities we serve,” Munn said.
The CSU chancellor is the chief executive officer of the university system, which is based in Denver, and includes three campuses: the flagship campus in Fort Collins, Colorado State University, led by President Amy Parsons; Colorado State University Pueblo, where Dr. Rhonda Epper was recently named president; and the fully online Colorado State University Global, where Dr. Audra Spicer serves as interim president.
“Rico Munn is a dedicated educational leader and public servant with years of advocacy and legal work in Colorado, ” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “Munn’s extensive experience in education and proven leadership makes him a great fit to lead CSU and higher education into a new era.”
The chancellor works closely with the CSU board of governors on overall leadership and management of the system and spearheads government relations on behalf of the system and its campuses.
The board named Munn as sole finalist for the position on Feb. 6.That announcement drew criticism by some university members because it followed an internal search by the board that was only open to current CSU employees. Some faculty said that the internal search lacked transparency and failed to meet national best practices for a public institution.
Under Colorado law, a mandatory 14-day notice and waiting period follows the announcement of a finalist before the board can enter into an employment agreement. The process for defining the employment agreement, including a start date, will begin now that Munn has been officially appointed.
A longtime Colorado education leader, Munn currently serves as CSU’s vice president for Metro Denver Engagement and Strategy, having recently concluded a nearly yearlong tenure as interim president of the Pueblo campus.
He previously served as superintendent of Aurora Public Schools from 2013 to 2023. During his tenure, the district eliminated graduation equity gaps and saw a 25% overall increase in graduation rates, a 50% decline in dropout rates, a 70% decline in expulsions, and gains in academic achievement and college readiness. In 2019, he was named Colorado’s “Superintendent of the Year” and Aurora’s “Man of the Year.”
Earlier in his career, Munn served as executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education from 2009 to 2011 and as executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies from 2007 to 2009, overseeing divisions including Civil Rights, Banking, Real Estate, Insurance, Financial Services, Securities, Professional Licensure, Public Utilities and Consumer Counsel.
He also spent more than a decade as a litigator and trial attorney with a national law firm and served as chief of staff to Parsons.
Munn has served on the board of The Denver Foundation and co-founded the Denver Urban Debate League. He was principal author of the Denver Police Department’s first policy against biased policing.
He also was a founding board member of the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability and volunteered for years with Amnesty International, serving in national and international leadership roles, including representing the organization in Los Angeles; Cape Town, South Africa; and Santiago, Chile.
Munn earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Midland Lutheran College, now known as Midland University, in Fremont, Nebraska, where he was named Student Teacher of the Year in 1993. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and was named a Chancellor’s Scholar for his commitment to public interest service.
He hails from the Security-Widefield area south of Colorado Springs and previously served six years as a member of the CSU System Board of Governors after being appointed in 2013 by then-Gov. John Hickenlooper.