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• Please use the drop down menu to select a certain speaker. • The Honorable Ed Perlmutter • The Honorable Jim Leach • Christine Brennan • Helen Thorpe • Jim Wallis • Richard Reeves • Doug Price • Steve Farber • James Hackett • Marty Meehan • T.R. Reid • The Honorable Michael Bennett • The Honorable Alan Bersin • Gretchen Peters • Lew Daly • Laura Flanders • Christine Brennan • Craig Mullaney • Dr. William E. Spriggs • Roy Blount Jr. • The Honorable Mitch Morrissey • The Honorable Ken Salazar • Dr. William R. Brody • A Special Luncheon Honoring Senator George McGovern for a Lifetime of Service to America • The Honorable Gary Hart • Red Cavaney • Dick Flavin • Fred Krupp • The Honorable Mary Peters • His Excellency Pierre Vimont • The Rt. Reverend John Bryson Chane • Walter Russell Mead • Branch Rickey III • Richard Reeves • Dick and Dottie Lamm • Tim Kurkjian • Naomi Wolf • The Honorable Diana DeGette • The Honorable Bill Ritter • Frank Deford • His Excellency Flavio Espinal • Dr. Marion Nestle • The Honorable Troy Eid • Dr. Harlan Kenneth Ullman • The Honorable Kathleen Kennedy Townsend • The Honorable Wellington Webb • James Quigley • John Hofmeister • The Honorable Ken Adelman • Ms. Lynn Sherr • The Honorable David Walker • Max Boot • Dr. J. Edward Hill • Kitty Dukakis • The Honorable Ben Barnes • James Fallows Wednesday, July 19, 2006 • Bonnie McElveen-Hunter Thursday, June 15, 2006 • 7th District Colorado Democratic Congressional Candidates Friday, May 19, 2006 • Rick Reilly Thursday, April 13, 2006 • The Honorable Robert S. Mueller III Wednesday, March 15, 2006 • Colonel Nathan Sassaman Thursday, February 23, 2006 • The Honorable George McGovern • Gary Smith Back to past speaker page... Thursday, July 12, 2007 The Denver Forum Proudly Presents: The Honorable Bill Ritter – Governor of Colorado Speaking on: "The Future is Now" 12-Noon Luncheon Oxford Hotel 1600 17th Street Sage Room Members: $30, Non-Members, $45 Phone Reservations: 303-832-9030 Event Sponsor: Biography – Governor Bill Ritter LIFELONG COLORADAN Governor Ritter, 50, was born in Colorado and raised on a farm east of Aurora, the sixth of 12 children of Bill and Ethel Ritter. Bill Ritter`s dad was a heavy equipment operator, while his mom stayed home until tight economic circumstances forced her to find work as a bookkeeper when Bill Ritter was in his early teens. Governor Ritter started working full time in construction at age 14 to help support the family. As a member of the local laborer`s union, he continued working construction to pay his way through Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Law School. He earned his law degree in 1981 and was hired as a Denver Deputy District Attorney. PUBLIC SERVICE In 1987, Bill Ritter and his wife, Jeannie, began a three-year commitment to manage and expand a nutrition center in Zambia, Africa, where one-third of all children suffered from malnutrition. Returning home in 1990, Bill Ritter worked as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney`s Office. In May 1992, Bill Ritter returned to the DA`s Office. Then-Gov. Roy Romer appointed Governor Ritter as Denver`s District Attorney in 1993. He was elected to the position in 1994 and re-elected in 1996 and 2000. As District Attorney, Governor Ritter: Established one of the nation`s first drug courts; Focused on white-collar crime and crime against seniors, and expanded domestic and sexual abuse prosecution; Created the nation`s first Victim Service`s Network; Advised the U.S. attorney general on community security following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. These accomplishments earned Governor Ritter a national reputation for effective prosecution, innovation and the ability to manage public dollars wisely and efficiently. Widely respected by his peers, Bill served as a vice president of the National Association of District Attorneys, Chairman of the American Prosecutors Research Institute, and on the board for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. FAMILY and COMMUNITY Bill Ritter and Jeannie Ritter have been married for 22 years. They have three sons and a daughter: August, 20; Abe, 18; Sam, 16; and Tally, 13. Jeannie is a substitute teacher with Denver Public Schools. Most of Bill Ritter`s extended family, including his 28 nieces and nephews, live in Colorado. Governor Ritter has served his community as chairman of the board of Promoting Alternatives to Violence through Education (Project PAVE), the Mile High United Way board, the Denver Foundation`s Human Services Committee, and the Denver Public Schools Commission on Secondary School Reform.